MSC Thesis e Alderlieste PDF

Experimental modelling of lateral loads on large diameter
mono-pile foundations in sand
Master of Science Thesis
by
Etienne A. Alderlieste
April 2011
Version: final
Experimental modelling of lateral loads on large diameter
mono-pile foundations in sand
For obtaining the degree of M.Sc. in Civil Engineering at Delft University of Technology
by
Etienne A. Alderlieste
1313169
April 2011
Delft University of Technology

Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences
Department of Geotechnical Engineering
Personal information:
Author : Etienne A. Alderlieste

Electronic mail : e.a.alderlieste@student.tudelft.nl
etienne@alderlieste.org
Committee members:
Delft University of Technology, Geotechnical Engineering
Professor : Prof. ir. A.F. van Tol (chairman)
Supervisors : Dr. ir. W. Broere
: Dr. ir. J. Dijkstra
: Dr. ir. O. Heeres
Delft University of Technology, Offshore Engineering
Supervisor : Prof. ir. C.A. Willemse, MBA
Deltares
Supervisor : Ir. H.J. Luger
Gemeentewerken Rotterdam
Supervisor : Ing. H. Brassinga
General information:
Postal Address : Delft University of Technology

Geo-Engineering Section
P.O. Box 5048
2600 GA Delft
The Netherlands
Telephone : (+31) 010-2182270
(+31) 015-2781880 (secretary)
Telefax : (+31) 015-2783328
Abstract
The last years several offshore wind farms have been completed. Such farms typically
consist of a few dozen wind turbines. The majority of these wind turbines is founded on
mono-piles with a diameter of 4–5 m and is designed according to standards that use the
p-y method for lateral loading conditions. However, this p-y method is not validated for
such diameter piles. Full-scale field tests and model pile tests with properly scaled stress
conditions subjected to lateral loads are scarce.
This Thesis investigates the effect of a diameter increase on the lateral bearing capacity
of 2.2 m and 4.4 m diameter mono-piles in dry sand. Static displacement controlled
and one-way cyclic force controlled model pile load tests were performed using the Delft
University of Technology geotechnical centrifuge.
Results show that the smaller 2.2 m diameter pile has a lower secant and tangent soil-
pile stiffness when compared to the 4.4 m diameter pile. In all cases the tangent stiffness
is about 50% higher than the secant stiffness. Also, a force acting higher above soil surface
yields a lower initial system stiffness. Results furthermore show that an increase in pile
diameter with a constant slenderness or L/D-ratio, relative density Id and load excentricity
e, leads to a significant increase in static lateral capacity. The secant and tangent stiffness
also significantly increase with increasing diameter.
The accumulation of lateral pile displacements as function of the number of applied
one-way cyclic lateral loads has been investigated using 500 force controlled cycles. For
an increasing number of load cycles the pile head displacements increase whilst the rate
of accumulation decreases. However, additional loading cycles, up to e.g. 100000, are
recommended.
For static loading conditions experimental results have been compared to the default
API formulation for laterally loaded piles. This default formulation shows a significant
overestimation of the initial stiffness. However, after incorporating a stress dependent
secant stiffness E50 , which has been derived from triaxial compression tests on model
sand, good agreement is found between the experimental results and the modified API
formulation for pile displacements <0.1D. For displacements of about 0.05D the modified
p-y method underestimates the lateral bearing capacity of the 4.4 m diameter pile by up
to 25
Further research with loading conditions that mimic field loading conditions and a
sample with a higher initial density are recommended. It is also recommended to im-
prove the current set-up using better load control and a larger strongbox and to perform
additional model pile tests on saturated samples.
vii
Samenvatting
De laatste jaren zijn er verschillende offshore windmolen parken voltooid. De windmolens

van deze parken worden meestal gefundeerd op holle stalen buispalen met een diameter van
4–5 m, welke worden ontworpen aan de hand van standaarden die de zogeheten p-y methode
hanteren voor laterale belastingscondities. Echter, deze p-y methode is niet gevalideerd
voor palen met deze diameter afmeting. Verder zijn veld proeven en modelpaal proeven
met correct geschaalde spanningscondities en laterale belastingen schaars.
Deze Thesis onderzoekt het effect van een diameter toename op de laterale grond
draagkracht van 2.2 m en 4.4 m diameter monopalen met een constant lengte/diameter ra-
tio in droog zand. Verplaatsingsgestuurde statische en krachtgestuurde enkelzijdig belaste
cyclisch modelpaal proeven zijn uitgevoerd gebruik makende van de Technische Universiteit
Delft geotechnische centrifuge.
De resultaten laten zien dat de kleinere 2.2 m diameter paal een lagere secant en tan-
gent stijfheid heeft in vergelijking tot de 4.4 m diameter paal. In alle proeven is de tangent
stijfheid ongeveer 50% hoger dan de secant stijfheid en een toename van belastingsex-
centriciteit leidt tot een reductie van de grond-paal stijfheid. Verder is gevonden dat bij
een constant lengte/diameter ratio van de paal, gelijke relatieve dichtheid van de grond
en ongewijzigde belastingsexcentriciteit, een diameter toename van de paal leidt tot een
significante toename van de laterale capaciteit voor cyclische belaste model palen. Ook de
secant en tangent stijfheid nemen aanzienlijk toe wanneer de paal diameter toeneemt.
De accumulatie van de horizontale paal verplaatsingen als functie van het aantal op-
gelegde enkelzijdige belastingen is onderzocht voor 500 belastingscycli. Een toename van
aantal belastingen leidt tot een toename van de paal verplaatsing, terwijl het increment van
de verplaatsing afneemt. Een aanzienlijk groter aantal belastingswisselingen is aanbevolen,
bijvoorbeeld 100000.
De resultaten van de statische model paal proeven zijn vergeleken met een veelgebruikte
ontwerprichtlijn, namelijk de p-y methode. Gebruik van de standaard waarden zoals
voorgeschreven door de API voor een bepaalde hoek van inwendige wrijving en relatieve
dichtheid van de grond leidt tot een aanzienlijke overschatting van de initiële stijfheid.
Wanneer daarentegen een spanningsafhankelijke secant stijfheid E50 , welke afkomstig is
van triaxiaal compressie proeven, wordt gebruikt, wordt een acceptabele overeenkomst
tussen p-y methode en experimentele resultaten gevonden voor paal verplaatsingen <0.1D.
Vervolg onderzoek met belastingscondities die de offshore condities beter representeren
en een hogere relatieve dichtheid van het grondpakket worden aanbevolen. Verder wordt
aanbevolen de huidige experimentele configuratie, met name de belastingsregulering, te
verbeteren en vervolg modelpaal proeven te doen op verzadigde grond en in een grote bak.
ix
Those who sacrifice liberty for security, deserve neither.
Benjamin Franklin
Contents
Abstract vii
Samenvatting ix
Abbreviations and Symbols xix
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Offshore wind energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Wind turbine foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Mono-pile foundation loads and soil response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.4 Design of large diameter mono-piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.6 Limitations of this research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.7 Outline of this Thesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Laterally Loaded Piles 7

2.1 Failure of rigid piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 Design methods for laterally loaded piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Details of the p-y method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 Cyclic soil testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.5 Pile load tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.1 Field tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.2 Physical model pile tests at 1g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.5.3 Physical model pile tests at ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.6 Summary and conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 Experimental Test Set-up 17

3.1 Reference offshore mono-pile foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.2 Vertical bearing capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.3 Pile response due to lateral loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.4 Scaling to model dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.5 Model piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.6 Soil tests and parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.7 Geotechnical centrifuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.7.1 Brief history of centrifuge testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.7.2 General principle of a geotechnical centrifuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
xi
xii Table of contents
3.7.3 Geotechnical Centrifuge at Delft University of Technology . . . . . . 24

3.7.4 Data acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.8 Strongbox properties and sample preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.9 Experimental programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.10 Loading schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.10.1 Secant and tangent stiffness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.10.2 Pile displacement accumulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.11 Experimental limitations and boundary conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.12 Summary and discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4 Test Results 31
4.1 Overview of the experimental programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.2 Surface settlement and sample weight loss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.3 Experimental test results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4.3.1 Pile rotation and translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4.3.2 Static load displacement curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.3.3 Cyclic load displacement curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
4.3.4 Secant and tangent stiffness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.4 Pile displacement accumulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5 Comparison 41
5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.2 Calculation assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.3 Default API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.4 Modified API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.5 Stress dependent formulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.6 Effect of adapted stiffness on the p-y curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5.7 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6 OWEZ Field Data Analysis 47

6.1 Field data analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.1.1 Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.1.2 Loading conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.2 Results and remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
7 Conclusions and Recommendations 51

7.1 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
7.2 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
8 Acknowledgements 53
Bibliography 61
Appendices 65
A OWEZ CPT results and borehole logs 65

xiii
B Effect of diameter and loading type on p-y method parameters 77
C qc (z) used for MPile calculations 79
D Results for MPile calculations 81
E Model piles 89
F Pycnometer results 91
G Field data analysis details 93
H Triaxial test results 95

xiv
List of Figures
1.1 Main wind turbine components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2 Overview of foundation types for wind turbines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Schematic overview of forces acting on a mono-pile foundation . . . . . . . 4
2.1 Behaviour of laterally loaded rigid pile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2.2 Parameter determination based on soil state [6] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.3 Static (s) and cyclic (c) p-y curves for sand at different depths . . . . . . . 11
2.4 Simplified soil loading next to laterally loaded pile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.1 pult and influence of load excentricity on pult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3.2 Grain size distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.3 Local and global coordinate systems for centrifuge experiments . . . . . . . 23
3.4 Photo of the DUT centrifuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.5 Schematic overview of the DUT centrifuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.6 Schematic representation of centrifuge set-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.7 Schematic cross-section of the strongbox, dimensions in mm . . . . . . . . . 26
3.8 Schematic representation of static and cyclic loading schemes . . . . . . . . 28
3.9 Schematic overview of secant and tangent stiffness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.1 Schematic overview of measurement positions a, b and c . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4.2 Effect of load excentricity on load-displacement behaviour . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.3 Quantification of the physical strongbox boundary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
4.4 Load-displacement curves for one-way cyclic laterally loaded piles . . . . . . 36
4.5 Pile load-displacement behaviour with e = 2.4 m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.6 Force F plotted against number of cycles N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.7 Schematic overview of secant and tangent stiffness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.8 Secant and tangent stiffness versus number of cycles N . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.9 Pile displacement accumulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5.1 Comparison of ng results and API, k = 44000 kN/m3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

5.2 Comparison of ng results and API, k = 1400 kN/m3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.3 The increase of soil stiffness with increasing depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.4 Comparison of ng results and API, k(z) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.5 Influence of soil stiffness k on p-y curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6.1 FFT spectra of NS accelerations and displacements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
xv
xvi List of figures
6.2 FFT spectra of EW accelerations and displacements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

6.3 Example of NS and EW velocities and displacements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
B.1 pus and pud as function of D plotted against depth (z) . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

B.2 Factor A to account for loading type plotted against depth (z) . . . . . . . 78
B.3 Differences between static and cyclic p-y curves at different depth (z) . . . . 78
C.1 Estimated CPT values for North Sea sand at the OWEZ wind farm . . . . 79
D.1 Displacement and forces of 4.4 m pile in dry sand, e = 0.0 m . . . . . . . . 82

D.2 Load cap plot of 4.4 m pile in dry sand, e = 0.0 m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
D.4 Load cap plot 4.4 m pile in dry sand, e = 2.4 m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
D.6 Load cap plot of 4.4 m pile in dry sand, e = 4.8 m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
E.1 Cross-section of the two model piles, dimensions in mm . . . . . . . . . . . 90
G.1 Splitting and re-assembling data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
H.1 Stress-strain curve with a cell pressure of 500 kPa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

H.2 Stress-strain curve with a cell pressure of 500 kPa, 0–5% strain . . . . . . . 97
H.3 Mohr circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
List of Tables
3.1 Properties of two prototype piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

3.2 Overview of centrifuge scaling factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3 Model pile dimensions and properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.4 Limiting densities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.5 Summary of DUT centrifuge specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.6 Overview of centrifuge tests (prototype dimensions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.1 Overview of centrifuge tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

4.2 Overview of surface settlements (mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.3 Pile displacement, rotation and translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
F.1 Pycnometer test results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
H.1 Overview of triaxial tests and test conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
xvii
xviii
Abbreviations and Symbols
Abbreviations
API American Petroleum Institute

BEF Beam on Elastic Foundation
BSI British Standard Institution
CPT Cone Penetration Test(s)
DNV Det Norske Veritas
DSS Direct Simple Shear
DUT Delft University of Technology
FE Finite Element
FEA Finite Element Analysis
FEM Finite Element Method
GL Germanischer Lloyd
JGS Japanese Geotechnical Society
MP Mega Pixel
NEN Nederlands Normalisatie-instituut
OWEZ Offshore Wind farm Egmond aan Zee
SSD Solid State Disk
SW(-model) Soil-Wedge (model)
TC Triaxial Compression
TE Triaxial Extension
WEC(s) Wind Energy Convertor(s)
xix
xx Abbreviations and Symbols
Symbols
A Factor to account for loading type [-]

Area [m2 ]
a Acceleration [m s-2 ]
b Pile width perpendicular to loading direction [m]
C1 Constant [-]
C2 Constant [-]
C3 Constant [-]
cu Uniformity coefficient [-]
D Diameter [m]
Dl Diameter of the large 27.36 mm model pile [m]
Ds Diameter of the small 13.68 mm model pile [m]
D10 10% smallest particle size [µm]
Dp Prototype scale pile diameter [m]
E Young’s modulus (or elasticity modulus) [kN m-2 ]
E50 Secant stiffness at 50% of the peak load [kN m]
Esec Secant stiffness [kN m]
Etan Tangent stiffness [kN m]
EA Axial stiffness [kN]
EI Flexural stiffness [kN m2 ]
e Void ratio [-]
Excentricity of applied load [m]
F Force [kN]
Fbc Total axial bearing capacity [kN]
Fbc,shaf t Axial shaft bearing capacity [kN]
Fbc,tip Axial tip bearing capacity [kN]
Fh Force (horizontal) [kN]
Fr,1 Passive soil resistance [kN]
Fr,2 Passive soil resistance [kN]
Fv Force (vertical) [kN]
f Frequency [Hz]
g Gravitational acceleration [m s-2 ]
I Moment of inertia [m4 ]
Id (Initial) relative density [%]
k Soil resistance [kN m-3 ]
K0 Lateral earth pressure coefficient [-]
L Length [m]
Lemb Embedded length [m]
Lp Prototype embedded pile length [m]
Mb Bending moment [kNm]
Mt Torsional moment [kNm]
m Mass [kg]
Abbreviations and Symbols xxi
n Porosity [-]
p Soil resistance [kN m-1 ]
pult Ultimate bearing capacity [kN]
pud Lateral soil resistance, deep [kN m-1 ]
pus Lateral soil resistance, shallow [kN m-1 ]
r Radius [m]
t Wall thickness [m]
Time [s]
V Volume [m3 ]
Vpores Volume of pores [cm3 ]
Vsolid Volume of solids [cm3 ]
Vtotal Total volume (= Vpores + Vsolid ) [cm3 ]
v Velocity [m s-1 ]
y Deflection [m]
z Depth [m]
γ Specific weight [kN m-3 ]
ε Strain [%]
ϕ Angle of internal friction [◦ ]
ω Angular velocity [rad s-1 ]
σ Stress [kN m-2 ]
σ1 Principal stress direction [kN m-2 ]
σ3 Secondary stress direction [kN m-2 ]
xxii Abbreviations and Symbols
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Offshore wind energy

In Western Europe the amount of energy generated from renewable sources such as wind
and solar energy increased dramatically over the last decade, e.g. [89; 96; 97]. For wind
energy this results from an increased number of installed wind energy convertors (WECs)
or wind turbines at onshore as well as offshore locations. The main components of WECs
are shown in Figure 1.1. Several WECs together form a so-called wind farm. In comparison
to onshore, offshore sites offer favourable wind conditions as well as limited regulations,
for instance for noise produced during installation and operation.
blade(s)
rotor (diameter) nacelle
tower
water level transition piece
seabed
mono-pile foundation
Figure 1.1 Main wind turbine components
In the coming decade more turbines will be installed offshore. The Dutch government
has planned a total installed generator capacity of 6000 MW for offshore sites in year 2020
[4]. Currently (2011), the total capacity is only about 200 MW. In several other countries
next to the North Sea (e.g. the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark and Germany) new
1
2 Introduction
offshore wind farms will also be constructed. Wind farms require large areas, O(40 km2 ),
and may not block shipping routes. Also, free space close to shore is limited. Large areas of
the North Sea are characterized by sandy soil conditions and a limited water depth. This
limited water depth allows for the construction of offshore wind farms further offshore.
Offshore generator capacity trails onshore generator capacity. In November 2010 a 7.5
MW turbine has been installed onshore in Germany by Enercon [30] whilst 5 MW turbines
are installed offshore at the Beatrice wind farm in Scotland. The Offshore Prinses Amalia
wind farm [64] consist of 60 Vestas V80-2.0 MW turbines that are founded on 4.0 m mono-
piles. The water depth is 19–24 m and the total power output is 120 MW. This wind farm
was completed in 2007 and became operational in 2008. Offshore Wind farm Egmond aan
Zee (OWEZ) [98], completed in 2006, consists of 36 Vestas V90-3.0 MW turbines located
10 to 18 km from the Dutch coast. More recently (2009), wind farms are constructed
as far as 46–52 km from shore, i.e. the Belwind [13] wind farm, comprising of 55 Vestas
V90-3.0 MW turbines situated on Bligh Bank. This farm has been completed in 2010 and
is operational. The typical water depth at Belwind and OWEZ sites ranges from 15 to 37
m.
1.2 Wind turbine foundations

Wind turbines can be constructed using several foundation types. Onshore wind turbine
towers are commonly bolted to a concrete slab at soil surface level. For soft soil conditions
this slab is founded on long slender piles. Offshore foundations not only transfer wind
loads, but also marine loads to the subsoil. Possible foundation solutions are shown in
Figure 1.2.
A jacket or tripod foundation can be built with a specific wall thickness for different
parts of the structure and thus be more optimal by design in terms of stress, strain and
material usage compared to a mono-pile. A mono-pile requires a large wall thickness to
resist bending moments, but is relatively easy to construct and transport. Compared to
jacket or tripod foundations, mono-pile foundations have a limited lateral bearing capacity.
In general the water depth increases further from shore. In water with greater depth
higher waves can occur. Higher waves and an increasing height between seabed and water
onshore ⇐⇒ offshore
Figure 1.2 Overview of foundation types for wind turbines; from left to right: onshore piled
foundation, offshore gravity base, suction caisson, mono-pile, tripod, jacket and
floating platform foundation
E.A. Alderlieste M.Sc. Thesis

Introduction 3
level, at which the waves are loading the structure, lead to larger marine based loads.
Increasing turbine generator capacity generally requires a larger rotor, which leads to
higher towers and larger forces acting on the foundation. In order to build wind farms
with higher capacity generators further offshore, i.e. with foundations having to cope with
increasing lateral and vertical loads, the foundation dimensions have to be adapted. A
mono-pile with a larger diameter is the result.
The limited water depth and sandy soil conditions at many sites of the North Sea allow
for the construction of mono-pile foundations. An overview of some soil profiles at the
OWEZ wind farm is presented in Appendix A. The mono-pile foundation is designed for
water depths of less than 30 m. Water depths of 30 – 40 m are considered the transition
depth. For water depths >40 m jacket foundations become more economical ([1; 25; 78]).
For OWEZ and Belwind wind farms mono-piles with an approximate outside diameter of
4.4 and 5.5 m respectively have been used.
1.3 Mono-pile foundation loads and soil response

Offshore wind turbines are built to last >20 years. During this period the structure is
loaded many times, O(108 ), from varying directions and with different magnitude. Marine
based loads act at a different height compared to wind based loads and both can load
the structure from different angles simultaneously. This large number of loading cycles
and the direction of the loads are important for the design of a foundation. When loaded
repeatedly the steel structure will show fatigue, i.e. loss of strength. Soil behaviour is also
rather sensitive for loading history [3; 48; 65; 66; 84; 93; 94]. Cyclic loading will, therefore,
impact soil properties. An overview of the axial load Fv , lateral load Fh and bending and
torsional moments, Mb and Mt respectively, acting on the mono-pile foundation is given
in Figure 1.3.
In sands an increasing number of load cycles N generally leads to an accumulated
displacement or strain at mud line level. However, the effect of the number of cycles N
and the load magnitude on the failure mode of the mono-pile is still a research topic. Re-
search investigating the effect of a prescribed force (spectrum) on the rate of displacement
accumulation of large diameter mono-piles is scarce.
1.4 Design of large diameter mono-piles

Standards for designing laterally loaded piles, e.g. the American Petroleum Institute (API)
[6], Det Norske Veritas (DNV) [26] or Germanischer Lloyd (GL) [34] are based on the p-y
curves method [21; 74]. The p-y method describes the non-linear relation between pile
deflection y and soil resistance p. With increasing depth z the soil response becomes
stiffer. In these codes the soil resistance p depends on the soil type and its properties such
as (relative) density and angle of internal friction ϕ.
Although the p-y method is specifically developed for foundation solutions in the oil
and gas sector, it is nevertheless frequently applied for the design of mono-pile foundations
with a diameter up to e.g. 5.5 m that are subjected to static and cyclic loading conditions.
In this Thesis mono-piles with a diameter >2.0 m are considered large diameter mono-piles.
M.Sc. Thesis E.A. Alderlieste

4 Introduction
Fv
Mb
Fh
seabed
Mt
Fh
mono-pile mono-pile
(a) Side view (b) Top view
Figure 1.3 Schematic overview of forces (horizontal and vertical) and moments (bending and
torsional) acting on a mono-pile foundation
Current large diameter offshore mono-piles have a slenderness ratio or embedded length
over outer diameter L/D-ratio of 5 – 7 and are considered to behave rigid. This L/D-
ratio differs significantly from the piles from which the p-y method is calibrated (L/D =
34.4) [21; 74]. For large diameter piles the initial soil stiffness response of the pile-soil
interaction will be higher compared to slender piles [8; 49; 50; 95] and the p-y method
does not explicitly take pile stiffness into account. Therefore, determination of the validity
of the p-y method for large diameter piles is necessary.
1.5 Objectives
The current research will investigate soil-pile behaviour for large diameter mono-piles sub-
jected to one-way cyclic lateral loading in medium dense sand with a consistent relative
density Id of approximately 60%. Model pile tests will be performed in a geotechnical
centrifuge and referred to as ng tests. Prototype pile diameters of 2.2 m and 4.4 m are
examined.
Primary objective:
- Experimental investigation into the accumulation of horizontal displacements for

piles with different diameters as function of applied one-way cyclic lateral loading
schemes by means of several ng model pile tests.
Secondary objectives:
- Determination of validity of the p-y method for static loading of large diameter steel
piles by means of several ng model pile tests.
- Identification of loading conditions and model scaling for ng-tests and determination
of physical boundary conditions for model piles.

Introduction 5
1.6 Limitations of this research

Field soil and loading conditions cannot be exactly reproduced in scaled down model pile
tests. Several aspects are simplified.
- The North Sea subsoil is built-up of multiple saturated soil layers that generally
consist of medium dense to dense sand with an Id of e.g. 70–95%. Layers of clay and
peat can be present as well. The model pile tests will be performed in a homogeneous
single layer of dry sand with a consistent relative density Id of 60%. This will result
in a lower lateral bearing capacity compared to denser sand.
- Offshore wind turbines are founded in saturated soil. The use of dry sand for model
pile tests results in higher effective stresses and will result in a higher lateral bearing
capacity.
- Multi-directional loads acting at different positions are simplified as a force acting

in one direction and at a single height for each experiment. Geotechnical centrifuge
scaling laws dictate that a 0.1 Hz prototype frequency requires a 10 Hz frequency at
100g. The load frame has a maximum velocity of 0.5 mm/sec. Therefore, for dis-
placements O(mm) the system is not fast enough to mimic field loading frequencies.
1.7 Outline of this Thesis

Chapter 2 presents the background of available methods for calculating lateral bearing
capacity and displacements of laterally loaded piles and in particular the p-y method. Field
tests, 1g and ng experiments as well as the behaviour of soil subjected to cyclic loading will
be discussed. In Chapter 3 the (ultimate) lateral load for different prototype pile diameters
is calculated for static and cyclic loading conditions with varying load excentricity based on
North Sea soil conditions. Scaling laws, model piles, results of laboratory soil experiments
and the experimental programme are then presented. The geotechnical centrifuge set-
up of Delft University of Technology is introduced and possibilities and limitations of
geotechnical centrifuge experiments are discussed. The results of the performed tests and
analyses of the results are presented in Chapter 4. The experimental results are then
compared to the default and a modified p-y method in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 presents
results of analysed field data and compares the field pile displacements at seabed level
with model pile test displacements. The concluding Chapter 7 contains a brief summary
of objectives and conclusions based on this research and recommendations.

6 Introduction

Chapter 2
Laterally Loaded Piles
2.1 Failure of rigid piles

Piles with low slenderness ratios behave more rigid and rotate rather than bend. The centre
of rotation is located at a depth of about 0.8 times the embedded pile length Lemb [16; 20].
Figure 2.1 shows a schematic pile rotation and corresponding soil resistance distribution.
Based on equilibrium of forces (Eq. 2.1) and moments (around the pile toe; Eq. 2.2) the
resistance to rotation can be determined [16],
Fh Fh
ϕ e e
soil surf ace

zr,1
Fr,1 zr,2
L
Fr,2
(a) Schematic pile rotation (b) Schematic soil resistance
Figure 2.1 Behaviour of laterally loaded rigid pile
Fh = Fr,1 + Fr,2 , (2.1)
−Fr,1 (L − zr,1 ) + Fr,2 (L − zr,2 )

Fh = . (2.2)
L+e
7
8 Laterally Loaded Piles
When a pile rotates a shear resistance can be mobilized at the pile toe. The presence of
this shear resistance is indicated by numerical calculations and it is suggested to be taken
into account designing large diameter mono-piles [12; 50]. According to the German design
standard GL the rotation of a laterally loaded mono-pile foundation should be minimized
in order to guarantee system operation. A maximum pile rotation of 0.5◦ at mud line is
allowed [34]. For a pile with an L/D-ratio of 5 and a diameter of 4.4 m this leads to a
deflection restriction of 15.4 cm, i.e. 0.035D. This standard, however, does not allow a
lateral displacement of the pile toe. Satisfying this latter criterion requires deep installed
mono-piles, e.g. up to 43 m for pile diameters of 5.0 m (i.e. with an L/D-ratio of 8.6)
[3], which would make this type of foundation less economical. An increase in embedded
length of a cyclic laterally loaded pile leads to a smaller rate of accumulated displacement
and therefore, piles with a higher L/D-ratio can cope better with a large number of cyclic
lateral loads [2; 3]. Mono-piles with an L/D-ratio of 5–6 have been installed offshore,
which suggests that in practice a small pile toe displacement is nevertheless accepted when
designing a laterally loaded mono-pile foundation.
2.2 Design methods for laterally loaded piles

Wind turbine structures are subjected to variable lateral wind and marine loads which
lead to bending moments in the tower and mono-pile foundation. Due to the asymmetric
3-bladed shape of the rotor also torsional moments are generated. These lateral loads,
bending and torsional moments are transferred to the soil by the mono-pile foundation. The
behaviour of mono-pile foundations is a non-linear three-dimensional soil-pile interaction
problem. Numerous methods for the analysis of laterally loaded single piles have been
created. These methods are generally based on simplifications. A brief overview of 4
different methods is given below.
Elasticity method The elasticity method takes soil continuity into account, but the soil
modulus is assumed elastic and varies with stress level [10; 70; 72]. As soil behaviour is
more accurately described in a non-linear manner, this method is limited to small strains
(i.e. smaller than 1%) and not suitable to determine ultimate lateral pile loads.
Limit state method The limit state method can determine the ultimate lateral pile
capacity pult [19]. This method, also known as Broms’ method, assumes a rigid pile and
a linear relation between pile diameter and ultimate lateral soil capacity. Finite Element
(FE) calculations indicate this limit state method underestimates the pult for sand [32].
Finite Element Method (FEM) Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a useful tool cap-
able of modelling soil continuity, nonlinearities, complex pile-soil interaction and 3D bound-
ary conditions. Large diameter mono-piles with typical wall thickness and flexural stiffness
embedded in a sandy soil can nowadays be modelled, see e.g. [3; 12; 50]. However, FE
analysis is still mainly used for research purposes using simplified soil models. FEA can
nevertheless help improve understanding of pile-soil interaction.

Laterally Loaded Piles 9
Subgrade reaction method This method, which includes the p-y method, is based on
a beam on elastic foundation (BEF) and is widely used for its simplicity and reasonable
accuracy [16; 57; 75; 87]. The soil resistance is assumed to be linear. The p-y method
does take the non-linear relation between load F and pile deflection y into account using
so-called p-y curves. This subgrade reaction method is limited by the fact that soil resist-
ance is modelled as a finite number of springs, whilst soil properties should be considered
continuous. Also, the horizontal subgrade modulus is a model parameter rather than a
fundamental soil property.
The p-y method has been applied for many years and almost all large diameter offshore
mono-pile foundation dimensions are based on current design standards [6; 26; 34] which
incorporate the p-y method, despite several known limitations and uncertainties. These
limitations will be discussed in Section 2.3.
Plans for new wind farms already exist and currently mono-piles are the recommended
foundation type. Due to this increase of application of mono-piles for offshore wind farms
the research topic of soil resistance-pile deflection (p-y) is revived, especially for application
of large diameter piles with low slenderness ratios.
2.3 Details of the p-y method

The p-y method is a method for determining the pile deflection and (ultimate) lateral bear-
ing capacity as result of a lateral load acting on a foundation. Soil resistance is modelled
using non-linear springs. The applied force F is related to the lateral pile deflection y by
p-y curves. These curves depend on soil type, depth and loading type. At greater depth
soil reacts stiffer and a stiffer soil response leads to a steeper curve, see e.g. Figure 2.3.
The lateral load F is based on the spring stiffness of the soil k at the corresponding depth
and the deflection y,
F (z) = k(z) · y(z). (2.3)
For sand this p-y method was derived from field tests on Mustang Island (USA) [21; 74].
These field tests consisted of 2 static and 5 cyclic load tests applied to two 0.61 m (24 inch)
diameter D piles with wall thickness t of 95 mm (3/8 inch), length L of 21 m (69 feet) and
an L/D-ratio of 34.4. The wall thickness over diameter t/D-ratio equated to about 64.
Based on the same data it has been concluded that a hyperbolic curve is an improvement
over the originally formulated expression [60]. This adapted formulation has been accepted
by several design standards e.g. [6; 26; 34]. However, in both variants multiple soil layers
and non-constant pile diameters are not accounted for. The soil-wedge (SW) model [9; 62],
which is used to predict the response of a laterally loaded flexible pile, does incorporate the
pile properties and is able to handle multiple soil layers. For sand the lateral soil resistance
versus deflection relationship at depth z is approximated by the expression,
pus (z) = (C1 z + C2 D) γz, (2.4)

pud (z) = C3 Dγz. (2.5)

(a) Constants C1 , C2 and C3 (b) Relative density and friction angle
Figure 2.2 Parameter determination based on soil state [6]
The ultimate lateral resistance pu (addition s = shallow, d = deep) is based on the

effective unit weight γ in kN/m3 , depth below ground surface z in m, pile diameter D in
m and the friction angle of the material ϕ. The C1 , C2 and C3 coefficients are determined
using Figure 2.2a. The parameter k depends on the internal friction angle (see Figure
2.2b). Multiplying a lb/in3 value by 276.4 yields kN/m3 values, i.e. 160 lb/in3 equals
about 44000 kN/m3 . For deep foundations there is a linear relation between pile diameter
and pud . The pus is also linearly dependent on the pile diameter D, but increases quadratic
with depth z. The minimum value of either pus or pud serves as input for Eq. 2.6. Several
plots presented in Appendix B show pus is decisive for large diameter piles up to 22 m
depth. The p-y relationships for sand are non-linear and are approximated by Eq. 2.6. A
correction factor A is used to account for loading type, A(z) = 0.9 for cyclic and A(z) =
3.0 - 0.8z/D ≥ 0.9 for static loading. A diameter dependency of A is shown in Appendix
B. The p(z) in kN equals the (ultimate) lateral bearing capacity for a given deflection y
and is based on the initial modulus of subgrade reaction k(z),
µ ¶
kz
p(z) = A · min (pus (z), pud (z)) tanh y . (2.6)
A · min (pus (z), pud (z))
The p-y method is known to have several limitations. For instance, this method is
only suitable for constant pile diameters installed in single layered soils. Secondly, the pile
(flexural) stiffness EI is not taken into account. During driving of a mono-pile the initial
stress state and soil density are altered. For example, the ratio between the horizontal and
vertical stress component, or the lateral earth pressure coefficient K0 , is likely to change.
The API [6] assumes a constant K0 = 0.4. Other values like K0 = 1 - sinϕ have also been
used, e.g. [16]. For (medium) dense sand with a ϕ equal to 37◦ there is no difference.

4
x 10
2
s, 18 m
s, 11 m
1.5 s, 4 m
c, 18 m
c, 11 m
p [kN/m]
c, 4 m
1
0.5
0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12
Deflection [m]
Figure 2.3 Static (s) and cyclic (c) p-y curves for sand at different depths
Numerical calculations show that application of p-y curves probably leads to an over-
estimation of the stiffness of large diameter mono-piles in sand with respect to horizontal
loading. This may lead to insufficient pile design lengths [3; 50; 95]. EI variations of the
pile do not significantly influence p-y curves for sand [32]. 3D FEA using linear elastic
soil models shows an influence of pile diameter on subgrade reaction modulus [8; 40]. This
analysis also states this influence is expected to be negligible as pile stiffness increases
with increasing diameter (the pile diameter used is 1.2 m). Non-linear behaviour of soil
tends to increase the pile diameter effect in relation to the pile response and standard p-y
curves show a tendency to overestimate soil resistance for large diameter piles for weakly
cemented sands [8; 40]. In contrast, a linear dependency of pile diameter on soil resistance
suggests no diameter dependency [51]. Applicability of the p-y method for large diameter
mono-piles therefore requires additional investigation, e.g. into the diameter influence on
the lateral bearing capacity.
2.4 Cyclic soil testing

The stress path occurring in the soil adjacent to the mono-pile foundation can be simulated
using a triaxial apparatus with triaxial compression (TC) or triaxial extension (TE) or
using a direct simple shear (DSS) apparatus (see Figure 2.4). However, the exact stress
path formulation remains unknown. Using a DSS apparatus a normal force is applied and
the resistance to shear is measured. Although different stress conditions can be simulated,
the failure plane is rather fixed. Cyclic loading of sand samples is often done using a
triaxial apparatus. Results of several tests are presented in Section 2.4.
For many different engineering situations cyclic soil loading is relevant, e.g. for railways
and bridge foundations. From cyclic triaxial tests a strain accumulation rate proportional
to the logarithm of the number of cycles N was found [48]. Using load controlled cyclic
triaxial tests on gravel and sand at 5 Hz a relation between the strain accumulation rate
and N proportional to 1/N with parameters c1 for N < 1000 and c2 for N > 1000

mono-pile
σ3
Fh σ1 σ1
σ3 TC/TE
σ1
τ
DSS
σ1
Figure 2.4 Schematic view of laterally loaded mono-pile and soil tests: triaxial compres-
sion/extension (TC/TE) and direct (simple) shear (DSS)
and c1 > c2 was found [85]. A c2 > c1 was found investigating medium coarse and fine
sands using triaxial tests [36]. A near-logarithmic relation for up to 104 cycles and an
over-proportional logarithmic relation for a larger number of loading cycles N was found
using saturated drained triaxial tests and multi-axial direct simple shear tests [93]. Work
from latter authors also states the strain accumulation rate is not dependent on the applied
frequency (for the tested range of 0.05 – 2 Hz) and there is no significant difference between
dry and saturated drained triaxial test results. Soil type and soil density influence the strain
accumulation rate, although an increase in number of cycles N leads to an accumulation
of displacements nevertheless.
Hettler (Eq. 2.7) performed triaxial tests on dry sand and model pile tests using sand
and suggested a relation between displacement for 1 cycle w1 and the displacement for N
cycles wn depending on a material parameter Cn (for sand equal to approximately 0.2) [37].
Little and Briaud (Eq. 2.8) suggested a power relation based on the number of cycles N
[55]. Experimental investigation into the influence of regular and irregular cyclic loading
on dry granular material yields a displacement curve versus the logarithmic number of
cycles N also according to an N m relation [66].
wn = w1 + (1 + Cn ln N ) , (2.7)
wn = w1 N 0.136 . (2.8)
Undisturbed fine grained soil samples subjected to cyclic excitations show a reduction of
stiffness [65], which corresponds to the p-y method. This contradicts with results showing a
stiffness increase with increasing number of loading cycles [42; 53]. Although soil behaviour
depends on the stress state and e.g. the followed stress path for triaxial tests with cyclic
soil loading, nevertheless the p-y method and other soil-pile related topics require further
investigation.

2.5 Pile load tests

Although numerical calculations nowadays are more often applied, validation of analytical
design methods or the more advanced FE methods requires reliable field data or proper
laboratory data. Only a limited amount of research on (cyclic) laterally loaded mono-
piles has been published. Additionally, the number of full-scale field tests on laterally
loaded single tubular pipe piles is very limited, as is the diameter of the piles tested (i.e. a
maximum of 1.2 m). The number of centrifuge tests conducted on >2 m diameter prototype
pipe piles is also limited. Sections 2.5.1, 2.5.2 and 2.5.3 discuss results from laterally loaded
pile foundations on field test scale, model pile tests at 1g and ng respectively.
2.5.1 Field tests

For laterally loaded single piles in sand overviews of conducted field tests consisting of
up to 34 pile tests [54; 56] are given. Besides drilled shafts with L/D-ratios of 3–8 both
overviews mainly contain rather slender piles with an L/D-ratio >15 and only a limited
number of steel pile tests is presented. In fact, only two field tests conducted on steel
pipe piles are presented that already include the test series from which the p-y method is
derived [21; 60; 74]. The amount of loading cycles for both tests is 100. In occasional cases
in which large diameter piles are tested no particular influence of the diameter is revealed
for sandy conditions [76].
Although there are instrumented wind turbines where e.g. accelerations are measured,
no full-scale large diameter mono-pile field test with lateral loads up to a prescribed failure
criterion are found. However, field data from instrumented offshore wind turbines is avail-
able. In Chapter 6 the results of analysed field data will be presented. Model pile tests
at 1g are affordable and often considered a decent alternative to gain information about
soil-pile interaction.
2.5.2 Physical model pile tests at 1g

To better understand soil-pile interaction, often scaled down model pile tests are performed
at 1g. Such experiments often have (lateral) pile load-displacement analysis as aim. How-
ever, 1g experiments lack properly scaled pore fluid properties and stress conditions.
Model pile tests on a 90 mm diameter pile with up to 50000 multi-directional lateral
loading cycles does not show generation of (excess) pore water pressures [27]. Variation of
loading direction leads to 2–3 times the pile head displacement for dense sand compared to
unidirectional loading. The importance of two-way loading direction is underlined [45], as
waves load a structure in a two-way manner, although mainly unidirectional. Furthermore,
tests on a rigid 1:50 scale model pile show one-way cyclic loading increases the soil stiffness
and that this increase is not dependent on relative soil density [46]. This is in contradiction
with degradation of static p-y curves to account for cyclic loading.
These experiments indicate that lateral loads acting on a foundation from different
angles can lead to larger lateral deformations than one-way loading conditions. Further
research investigating the soil-pile response, e.g. for a multi-directional loading situation
or different pile diameters and with properly scaled soil stresses, is needed to better un-
derstand offshore mono-pile behaviour over time.

2.5.3 Physical model pile tests at ng

Another way of modelling soil-pile interaction or other foundation related topics is by
means of a geotechnical centrifuge. Using a higher level of acceleration a stress distribution
comparable to prototype scale is obtained. Several topics, mainly concerning pile diameter
and lateral bearing capacity, are discussed next.
Geotechnical centrifuge experiments on laterally loaded single piles with a prototype
diameter of 1.0 m for both static as well as cyclic (100 cycles) loading in dense (90 to 95%
relative density) sand show an increase in pile-soil stiffness whilst the conventional p-y
method suggests a degradation of soil-pile stiffness [42]. The cyclic loading resulted in an
increase of lateral bearing capacity and small variations in initial density only led to small
variations of the lateral bearing capacity.
Different 40g up to 120g centrifuge tests have been performed with 16 mm model piles
(i.e. up to 1.9 m prototype scale) to validate p-y curves [11]. Fine sand (D50 of 100–120
µm) packed to 80 % relative density has been used. These tests confirm that the p-y
method overestimates the initial stiffness and its variation with depth and underestimates
the ultimate soil resistance near the pile head.
Model pile tests have been performed in a displacement controlled manner for dynamic
(0.8 m/s) and static loading (1.7·10−5 m/s) of dry and saturated soil sand. The tests were
performed at 1g and 40g, leading to a prototype diameter of 80 cm [15]. Results indicate
that rate and manner of loading significantly influence lateral bearing capacity for Nevada
sand with 80% relative density. An increased lateral loading rate resulted in a 10% and
35% increase in lateral resistance for dry respectively saturated soil.
Recently (2010), 200g experiments have been conducted to better quantify the effect of
a larger cross-sectional area by adding wings to a mono-pile foundation [28]. Such wings,
added to the pile near seabed level, effectively widen the pile and mobilize a larger soil
mass, thereby limiting lateral deflection of the pile head. Tests were performed on dry
medium dense sand and one-way cyclic loads were applied at 0.25 Hz (model frequency).
The prototype diameter of the pile tested was 2.4 m and with wings the width equals 5.6
m. The addition of wings for the same loading conditions resulted in a 50% higher lateral
bearing capacity or a reduction of about 40% in pile head displacement. These results
indicate that a larger area limits horizontal deformations for typical loading conditions,
suggesting a larger diameter pile will be able to withstand larger lateral loads.
Investigation into behaviour of large diameter mono-piles has been presented for 100g
tests with a prototype diameter of 5.0 m, subjected to 1000 loading cycles for dense (95%
relative density) dry sand [53]. Unidirectional force-controlled loads have been applied with
a loading frequency in the range from 0.02 – 0.4 Hz. Significant accumulated permanent
displacements are found which evolve approximately linear on a logarithmic scale.
The quantity of ng experiments remains limited. Furthermore, validity and applic-

ability of the p-y method for large diameter piles remain a topic of research. For many
situations adapted (FE) models are created to help understand experimental data. Espe-
cially, since full-scale tests, particularly with marine loading conditions, are expensive and
complex.

2.6 Summary and conclusions

The p-y method is not specifically formulated for large diameter mono-pile foundations.
Numerical methods as well as experimental research show limitations of using the p-y
design methods for large mono-piles. However, it remains unclear for which pile diameter
and loading conditions the p-y curves start to deviate from existing measurements. Fur-
thermore, experimental evidence for the validation of this design method is scarce.
Cyclic soil loading and the soil-pile response require further research in order to arrive at
a more reliable design method. Before a new series of improved soil tests can be performed
more information on the cyclic lateral pile-soil response needs to be gathered from (model)
pile tests.
The next Chapter 3 will introduce the prototype piles and model piles. The ultimate
lateral load for different pile diameters is calculated. Next, the Delft University of Tech-
nology geotechnical centrifuge and the experimental programme which will investigate soil
behaviour when subjected to lateral static and one-way cyclic loads is introduced.


Chapter 3
Experimental Test Set-up
In order to determine the validity of the p-y method for large diameter mono-piles and
the effect of diameter increase on the lateral bearing capacity, reference piles are intro-
duced. Based on the reference piles two model piles are made that will be tested using
the geotechnical centrifuge of Delft University of Technology. These ng experiments are
introduced in Section 3.9.
3.1 Reference offshore mono-pile foundation

Several offshore wind farms have been completed. About 65% of the foundations are mono-
piles [96]. The Danish Horns Rev wind farm consists of 80 Vestas V80-2MW MW turbines
that are founded on 4.0 m diameter mono-piles in water up to 15 m deep. The embedded
length of these piles is about 25 m, i.e. the L/D-ratio is 6.25, and this farm was completed
in 2002. Horns Rev 2, completed in 2008, consists of 91 Siemens Wind Power SWP 2.3-93
turbines with a total capacity of 209 MW. All towers are founded on mono-piles with a
diameter of approximately of 3.9 m. The L/D-ratio and water depth are 6–7 and 9–17
m respectively. The English Lynn and Inner Dowsing Wind Farm, completed in 2008, is
constructed using 4.7 m diameter mono-piles with an embedded length of 22 m, leading to
an L/D-ratio of 4.7. The total generated power output equals 209 MW and is generated
by 54 Siemens 3.6-107 turbines.
The reference mono-pile foundation is based on the mono-pile foundation installed at
Offshore Wind farm Egmond aan Zee. This reference pile has a diameter of 4.4 m and is
made from steel with an Young’s modulus of 210 GPa, has a wall thickness of 1/80D and
embedded length Lemb of about 6D.
There is a tendency to use shorter piles or piles with a larger diameter whilst maintain-
ing a constant embedded length. This leads to a decrease in slenderness ratio. Piles with
an L/D-ratio of 5 have already been installed and future farms will probably be construc-
ted using piles with an L/D-ratio of 5 or even less, as already piles with an L/D-ratio of
4.7 have been used at the British Lynn and Inner Dowsing Wind Farm.
Therefore, this Thesis takes a pile with a diameter of 4.4 m and an embedded length of
5D as the reference. For ng experiments a second prototype pile of half the dimensions of
the 4.4 m prototype pile is introduced. A detailed overview of properties of the reference
17
18 Experimental Test Set-up
Table 3.1 Properties of two prototype piles

Property Prototype pile 1 Prototype pile 2 Dimension
Diameter 4.4 2.2 m
Wall thickness 0.06 0.03 m
Embedded length 22 11 m
L/D ratio 5 5 -
Young’s modulus 210 210 GPa
Area 0.818 0.205 m2
Moment of inertia 1.926 0.120 m4
Flexural stiffness, EI 404·109 43·109 Nm2
Axial stiffness, EA 173·109 25·109 N
4.4 m and 2.2 m diameter mono-piles is given in Table 3.1. In Section 3.4 the scaling laws
by which prototype diameter piles are converted to model piles are introduced. In Section
3.5 the model piles will be presented.
3.2 Vertical bearing capacity

The majority of foundation piles is primarily designed to carry a vertical load, i.e. transfer
a vertical load to the subsoil. A decrease in embedded pile length is only possible if the
vertical bearing capacity is maintained. The total vertical bearing capacity Fbc is built-up
of shaft resistance Fbc,shaf t and pile tip resistance Fbc,tip . For unplugged piles both the
inner and outer shaft surface area provide resistance. On the other hand, plugged piles
derive their total vertical bearing capacity from outside shaft friction and entire cross-
sectional base area,
Fbc,tip = γLNq A, (3.1)

1
Fbc,shaf t = πDβγ L2 . (3.2)
2
These Equations rely on the pile diameter D in m, soil density γ in kN/m3 , soil para-
meters Nq and β, as well as the embedded pile length L in m. The Nq value is based
on medium dense to dense sand. According to the API [7] the maximum predicted shaft
resistance and tip resistance for the reference piles respectively are 67 kPa and 3.0 MN.
The calculated total vertical bearing capacity Fbc for the 2.2 m and 4.4 m diameter
piles is 2.5 MN and 17 MN respectively. An entire OWEZ wind turbine resembles a
weight of approximately 600 ton, i.e. 6 MN, and is founded on a 4.4 m diameter mono-
pile. Therefore, the vertical bearing capacity is not the limiting factor in the design of an
offshore wind turbine mono-pile foundation.

Experimental Test Set-up 19
3.3 Pile response due to lateral loading

Calculations with MPile [14] have been performed to get an understanding of the ultimate
soil resistance pult of a laterally loaded pile and the corresponding lateral pile displacement
in dry sand. The influence of the height above seabed at which the applied force acts is
also quantified. This PC programme uses the p-y method to calculate the ultimate lateral
capacity of piles. The calculation uses the cap interaction model. The input soil profile is
a simplified representation of OWEZ CPTs (Appendix A) and shown in Appendix C. The
maximum cone resistance is 20 MPa and as the API prescribes the K0 = 0.4. Both cyclic
and static load cases are calculated.
9 70
8
60
7
50
6
pult [MN]
pult [MN]
5 40
4 30
static, e = 0.0 static, e = 0.0
3
static, e = 2.4 20 static, e = 2.4
2 static, e = 4.8 static, e = 4.8
cyclic, e = 0.0 cyclic, e = 0.0
10
1 cyclic, e = 2.4 cyclic, e = 2.4
cyclic, e = 4.8 cyclic, e = 4.8
0 0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Normalized lateral deflection y/D [−] Normalized lateral deflection y/D [−]
(a) D = 2.2 m (b) D = 4.4 m
Figure 3.1 pult and influence of load excentricity on pult
The ultimate lateral bearing capacity pult of the pile is referred to as the load cap. A
high initial stiffness and plateau for y ≥ 0.1D are visible in the load-displacement results
as shown e.g. in Figure 3.1 and Appendix D. The load-displacement results of 4.4 m and
2.2 m diameter piles embedded in dry sand are shown in Figure 3.1. The results indicate
that the mono-pile behaves rigid, as only marginal bending of the pile occurs. The centre
of rotation lies about 4D below soil surface level, which is in agreement with [16; 20]. The
normalized lateral deflection is measured at 0.0 m, 2.4 m and 4.8 m. Detailed MPile results
are included in Appendix D. As shown, an increase in load height to 2.4 m above seabed
level leads to a decrease in pult of about 13% for the 4.4 m diameter pile. A load offset of
4.8 m above seabed level leads to an additional 11% decrease of the pult .
3.4 Scaling to model dimensions

The use of a geotechnical centrifuge in physical modelling makes it possible to simulate the
mechanical response of full-scale (geotechnical) structures in scaled down physical models.
In order to achieve a properly scaled model test it is necessary to replicate a materials’
effective stress state at full scale conditions. This implies that a 1:100 model should be
tested under an acceleration of 100g. The most relevant parameters and scale factors for
this Thesis are given in Table 3.2, e.g. [33; 80; 81; 83; 86].

Scaling to model space has to be done with care, for not all properties scale in a linear
manner. For these tests the main objective for the model piles is a correctly scaled flexural
stiffness. The aim is to scale the geometry as good as possible.
Table 3.2 Overview of centrifuge scaling factors

Quantity Symbol Prototype Model
Acceleration a 1 N
Length L 1 1/N
Area A 1 1/N2
Force F 1 1/N2
Stress σ 1 1
Strain ε 1 1
Density γ 1 1
Mass m 1 1/N3
Frequency f 1 N
Time (dynamic) t 1 1/N
Flexural stiffness EI 1 1/N4
3.5 Model piles

The primary prototype pile has a diameter of 4.4 m. The secondary prototype pile is
chosen to be half the size of the 4.4 m diameter pile, resulting in a diameter of 2.2 m, an
embedded pile length of 11 m and a wall thickness of 3 cm. The two model piles are based
on these two large diameter piles and are scaled to corresponding stiffness whilst scaling
the original geometry as close as possible. Model piles are constructed using brass with
a Young’s modulus of 110 GPa and about half the Young’s modulus of steel (210 GPa).
This means the model pile wall thickness can be increased by a factor of 2. A detailed
cross-sectional view of both model piles is presented in Appendix E.
Table 3.3 Model pile dimensions and properties

Property Model pile 1 Model pile 2 Dimension
Length (embedded + additional) 68.4 + 35.0 136.8 + 35.0 mm
Diameter, internal 13.00 ± 0.05 26.00 ± 0.05 mm
Diameter, outside 13.68 ± 0.05 27.36 ± 0.05 mm
Wall thickness 0.34 0.68 mm
Weight 14.5 ± 0.1 93.5 ± 0.1 g
Young’s modulus (E) 110 110 GPa
Moment of inertia (I) 0.32·10−9 5.07·10−9 N4
Flexural stiffness (EI) 34.9 558 Nm2

3.6 Soil tests and parameters

North Sea conditions cannot be exactly reproduced in the laboratory using the currently
available equipment. The samples have a lower initial density and a somewhat different
grading. The properties of the used model sand are described in the following paragraphs.
Pycnometer The density of the sand particles is determined using a MagnaChrome

Ultrapycnometer 1000 and equals 2.6457 Mg/m3 . Additional information can be found in
Appendix F.
Void ratio and porosity The extreme void ratios are determined according to the
Japanese Geotechnical Society (JGS) [39]. To get the lowest void ratio or the highest soil
density the specified volume is filled layer by layer and gently densified. The highest void
ratio or lowest density is achieved by slowly and carefully pouring sand through a funnel
into the specified volume.
Although effort is put into producing accurate and consistent results, it is assumed that
the very extremes are not possible to be achieved in relative short amounts of time, i.e. up
to 20 minutes. The average of the 3 peak values for either the lowest density and highest
density are taken. The porosity n, void ratio e and relative density Id are determined
based on these two sets of three values. The nmin and nmax differ about 10% which is
acceptable for fine grained sand. The desired Id of 60% leads to a porosity and void ratio
of 0.394 and 0.651 respectively. The particle density is 2.6457 Mg/m3 and the specific
density is 1.603 Mg/m3 .
Vpores
n= , (3.3)
Vtotal
Vpores n
e= = , (3.4)
Vsolid 1−n
emax − e
Id = . (3.5)
emax − emin
Table 3.4 Limiting densities

Highest density Lowest density Dimension
Volume 113.1 113.1 cm3
Total serie of 10 tests
Average mass 192.52 164.84 g
Mass standard deviation 1.31 0.53 g
Serie of 3 peak tests
Average mass 194.68 164.12 g
Mass standard deviation 0.43 0.18 g
Average specific density 1.721 1.451 Mg/m3
Porosity extremes nmin 0.349 nmax 0.451 -
Void ratio extremes emin 0.537 emax 0.823 -

Triaxial tests The soil particles in oven dry as well as saturated drained conditions have
been tested using a triaxial apparatus according to the British Standard Institution (BSI)
[17] and Nederlands Normalisatie-instituut (NEN) [61]. The effective confining pressure
applied is 500 kPa, which is equal to about 31 m below soil surface. Since all tests have
been performed at the same (effective) confining pressure it is not possible to determine
the cohesion. The cohesion is assumed to be 0 kPa for this granular material. In Appendix
H the deviatoric stress is plotted against the strain. Additionally, several Mohr circles are
plotted. The peak angle of internal friction ϕ equals about 35◦ . The secant stiffness of the
initial loading branch is 1400 ± 100 kN/m. The reloading stiffness is 2200 ± 100 kN/m.
Sieving The sand particles have been sieved in order to determine the particle size
distribution and coefficient of uniformity. The D10 , D50 and D60 are equal to 170, 245 and
260 µm respectively, and as the coefficient of uniformity indicates, the soil is considered
poorly graded,
D60 260
Cu = = = 1.5 ≤ 2.0. (3.6)
D10 170
100
90
80
Cumulative percentage [%]
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Sieve diameter [µm]
Figure 3.2 Grain size distribution
Sand in open air The sand does attract almost no water from the air. Oven dry sand
that has been laying in the lab exposed for 48 hours and >480 hours resulted in a weight
increase of about 0.02% ± 0.01% and 0.03% ± 0.01% respectively. These percentages are
considered negligible and the sand is considered dry.
Several soil parameters have been determined and the experimental programme can now
further be accommodated. The Delft University of Technology geotechnical centrifuge, in
which the ng experiments will be performed, is introduced next. The sample preparation
and experimental programme will be introduced respectively in Sections 3.8 and 3.9.

3.7 Geotechnical centrifuge

3.7.1 Brief history of centrifuge testing
In an 1869 paper Edouard Phillips [67] opted for the use of centrifuge models in engineering.
He proposed to exploit centrifugal acceleration to generate increased body forces on models
of reduced size. The first literature referring to applied centrifuge modelling appears to
be by P. Bucky in 1931, New York (USA). At almost the same time N. N. Davidenkov
and G. Y. Pokrovsky worked on centrifuge modelling in the USSR, publishing their work
[23; 68; 69] in Russian and later on at the First International Conference of Soil Mechanics
and Foundation Engineering (ICSMFE). In later decades e.g. Rowe and Schofield have
contributed to the field of centrifuge research, see for instance [77; 80].
Using centrifuge modelling the understanding of complex soil-foundation interaction
can be improved. This was underlined by an increase in research activities and increas-
ing number geotechnical centrifuges worldwide. Especially in the last few decades the
technology evolved due to technological advances (i.e. micro-electronics and miniature
instrumentation).
3.7.2 General principle of a geotechnical centrifuge

An object travelling in a circular motion experiences a force F away from the centre of
rotation. A force of similar magnitude is required to keep the object in orbit and is given
below, see Eq. 3.8. The mass of the object m in kg, velocity v in m/s or angular velocity
ω in rad/s and radius r in m determine the force F in N,
mv 2
F = = mω 2 r, (3.7)
r
v = ωr. (3.8)
y v F
swing
y(θ, t)
r
dθ
dt
=ω
y′ x′
θ
x
0 x(θ, t)
Figure 3.3 Global polar coordinates of the model and local coordinate system of the model

3.7.3 Geotechnical Centrifuge at Delft University of Technology

The centrifuge used for this research has been built-up by Allersma and co-workers in 1990
and is located at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Delft University of Technology
(DUT) in Delft [5]. Several years ago it has been disassembled and moved to a new location.
Not too long ago (2009), the system has been reassembled, tested and is now operational.
Several modifications such as improved data sampling have been implemented.
Figure 3.4 Photo of the DUT centrifuge
A control room housing 3 PCs is situated next to the room in which the centrifuge
set-up is located. Using one of the PCs the tangential speed (i.e. the acceleration) can
be set and controlled. The connection between the PC, motor and gearbox involves a
controller. The revolutions of the beam and temperature of the bearings are monitored.
During the tests performed for this Thesis the revolution monitoring was not operational.
A second PC is used to send data via slip rings to the mini-ITX PC system mounted
on the beam of the centrifuge. This is also possible during full centrifuge operation. This
connection consists of two times 100Mbit and is also used to transfer other data, e.g. from
the 5 mega pixel (MP) camera mounted on the swing. An overview of the entire set-up is
shown in Figure 3.6.
3.7.4 Data acquisition

There is a passively cooled mini-ITX PC and several controllers mounted on the centrifuge
beam. Besides a revolution counter mounted close to the vertical axis an accelerometer
is installed on the bottom of the swing. This accelerometer is functional up to 300g and
accurate up to about 0.5% up to 200g. The PC on the beam is also used to control
load frame operation. Via an RS232 controller the motors and pulse counters for both

Figure 3.5 Schematic overview of the DUT centrifuge
Table 3.5 Summary of DUT centrifuge specifications

Property Value Dimension
Radius of the centrifuge arm 1195 mm
Maximum design acceleration 300·9.81 m/s2
Maximum design payload (at 300g) 0.04 ton
Swing dimensions Height 420 mm
Width 350 mm
Length 450 mm
Maximum acceleration used 160·9.81 m/s2
Maximum payload used 0.022 ton
horizontal and vertical movement are controlled. A National DAQ card is used to convert
the analogue signal from load cells (for both vertical as well as horizontal loading) to a
digital signal. Data is then stored on the 64 GB solid state disk (SSD) attached to the
PC. If desired, this data is directly accessible using a PC connection via the slip rings. A
more detailed overview of equipment is shown in Figure 3.6.
The horizontal movement of the load frame is measured at a rate of 5 Hz. Since
the speed is 0.5 mm/sec this leads to an accuracy of approximately 0.1 mm. The load
corresponding to the lateral movement of the load frame is registered at 16 Hz. The
maximum available load on the load cell is 1500 N, which at 160g equates to 38 MN.

CONTROL ROOM CENTRIFUGE ROOM
CENTRIFUGE
MOTOR CONTROL MOTOR

LOAD FRAME
ACCELEROMETER
BASKET
GEAR
BOX
PC1 PC2 PC3 MOTOR, H
LOAD
CELL, H
PULSE
COUNTER PULSE
COUNTER, H
Gbit SWITCH RS232 MICRO
CONTROLLER
BEARING
TEMPERATURE MOTOR, V
LOAD
CELL, V
ROOM PULSE
CAMERA COUNTER, V
Mini-ITX
2 GB RAM
64 GB SSD DISK
2 x 100 Mbit LAN

SLIP RINGS
16 CHANNEL
100 kHz
5 MP A/D CONVERTOR
CAMERA NATIONAL DAQ CARD
32 AI, 64 DIGITAL LINES
Figure 3.6 Schematic representation of centrifuge set-up
3.8 Strongbox properties and sample preparation

The centrifuge will be loaded on one side with the strongbox (including the sand and model
pile). The other side is loaded with dead weights to counter balance the system.
Fh TA
soil surf ace e
B1
L
170 180
sand model pile
B2 D
238
Figure 3.7 Schematic cross-section of the strongbox, dimensions in mm
Strongbox dimensions The strongbox is a metal box with internal length, width and
height of 238, 222 and 180 mm respectively, and of which an overview is given in Figure
3.7. The weight of the empty box is 5401 g ± 1 g. In loading direction the total space
is 238 mm. The pile with outer diameter D will be installed in the strongbox up to the
required depth L = 5D. The space available between the horizontal boundary B1 and
vertical boundary B2 is in the order of 3.7D and 1D respectively for the large model pile.
For the small model pile B1 and B2 equal 9D and 6D respectively. The force F applied
to the pile and measured at height e above soil level. The displacement of the pile is also
measured at location T A, equal to e above the soil level.

Sample preparation For each test a new sample was prepared by pouring dry sand
in the strongbox and subsequently vibrating the entire sample. This method resulted
in consistent soil densities with relative densities Id varying between 58–62% for all tests.
After initial sample preparation the model pile was installed at 1g and the entire strongbox
was again briefly vibrated to minimize pile installation effects. The total weight of the
sample is determined and the sample is carefully transported to the centrifuge room. The
total weight of about 20 kg does not require special tools for transportation. The initial
pile positions before flight were measured and the sample is placed on one of the swings of
the centrifuge.
3.9 Experimental programme

The experimental programme consists of static and cyclic pile load tests. The static tests
are conducted to obtain understanding of soil-pile interaction for large displacements and
a second set of static pile load tests is performed to determine boundary effects. Static
tests are displacement controlled. At this point no field data is present. Therefore, the
force for the force controlled cyclic tests is based on an arbitrary 0.1D pile displacement
from the static model pile tests.
Tests will be conducted with varying load excentricity e of 0.0 m, 2.4 m or 4.8 m in
prototype scale above soil surface level. An increase in excentricity should lead to a lower
ultimate lateral resistance [42; 71] and e.g. shown by Figure 3.1. The number of load
cycles is represented by N and the acceleration compared to 1g is represented by n. An
overview of all tests is shown in Table 3.6.
Table 3.6 Overview of centrifuge tests (prototype dimensions)

Test Dp Lp /Dp e N n EI
m - m - - Nm2
a 2.2 5 0 1 160 35
b 2.2 5 4.8 1 160 35
c 2.2 5 0 1 80 558
d 2.2 5 2.4 1 80 558
e 2.2 5 4.8 1 80 558
f 2.2 5 2.4 500 80 558
g 4.4 5 0 1 160 558
h 4.4 5 2.4 1 160 558
i 4.4 5 4.8 1 160 558
j 4.4 5 2.4 500 160 558
k 4.4 5 4.8 500 160 558

3.10 Loading schemes

The static load scheme can be represented as a linear time-displacement graph as the load
frame speed is constant and equal to 0.5 mm/sec, see Figure 3.8a. The force applied as
cyclic load is derived from the static load-displacement curve for y is about 0.1D. The
same excentricity e is used in both tests. The cyclic loads are applied in a force controlled
way and the displacement is measured at the same time and e at which the force is applied.
displacement
pult
time
0
(a) Static loading scheme
load
pult
load cap
cycles
0 1 2 3 4
(b) Cyclic loading scheme
Figure 3.8 Schematic representation of static and cyclic loading schemes
3.10.1 Secant and tangent stiffness

A relation between secant or tangent stiffness and the number of load cycles N helps
improve understanding of soil-pile behaviour. Figure 3.9 gives an overview of how the
secant stiffness Esec and tangent stiffness Etan will be calculated based on obtained load
displacement curves from cyclic pile load tests; Esec is calculated using the highest point
in the load curve and the lowest point after unloading and before reloading and Etan is
based on the tangent of the reloading curve,

F1 − F2 F1
Esec = = , (3.9)
u1 − u2 u1 − u2
F4 − F3
Etan = . (3.10)
u4 − u3
Load F
Etan Esec
F1
F4
F3
F2 Displacement u
0 u2 u3 u4 u1
Figure 3.9 Schematic overview of secant and tangent stiffness
3.10.2 Pile displacement accumulation

An increasing number of load cycles generally leads to an increase in displacements, but
with a decreasing amount for each additional cycle. Several equations to predict this
reduction (e.g. Eqs. 2.7 and 2.8) exist and are used to predict pile displacements for a
given cycle count N . The pile displacement will be plotted against the number of cycles
and will be compared to these existing formulae.
3.11 Experimental limitations and boundary conditions

Physical boundary conditions The ratio between pile diameter and strongbox size
(measured in loading direction, i.e. 238 mm) ideally is in the order of 40 [79]. Using
the current strongbox, this ratio for the small diameter model pile is about 18 and it is
only about 8 for the large model pile. According to [79] for both model piles the physical
boundary can influence pile test results. Experiments testing the small 13.68 mm model
pile at 160g and the large 27.36 mm model pile at 80g, leading to a prototype 2.2 m
diameter pile for both cases, will better identify possible boundary effects. The results of
these tests will be discussed in Chapter 4.

Model pile installation The ratio between model pile wall thickness t and grain size
D50 is limited, about two for the small diameter model pile and 4 for the large diameter
model pile. Installing the model piles at 1g limits the build-up of high stresses below the
pile tip compared to pile installation at ng. Also, since the model piles will not be loaded
by forces other then the self-weight and the main force is acting laterally, the influence on
the lateral pile response of this low t/D50 ratio is considered negligible.
Shear band width and particle size versus model wall thickness and diameter
The shear band width is relevant for centrifuge experiments as often a low ratio between pile
diameter and grain size is found. Shear band widths are about 16D50 [59; 83]. Furthermore
a value of > 100D50 is desired for the pile diameter. In this research a shear band width
and suggested pile diameter of 3.9 mm and 24.5 mm respectively are found. Since the
governing pile (failure) mechanism is rotation, which leads to shear below the pile toe, the
clearance between pile toe and strongbox bottom of >1D should be sufficient.
Void ratio decrease Due to the applied acceleration field the sample possible could
densify. Tests with an initial porosity of 39.7% to 48.4% and acceleration of 120g indicate
a decrease in overall sample porosity of approximately 1% [83]. The majority of this
densification will have occurred before the tests started. The current set-up does not allow
for measuring a porosity decrease during flight. Nevertheless, soil levels will be measured
before and after flight and the results will be presented in Chapter 4.
Soil density The Id of 60% is low compared to North Sea soil conditions for several
locations, but makes the density of the sample better controllable and consistent and it
should deliver reproducible results. This relative low density will lead to a lower (initial)
stiffness of the soil.
Loading conditions The current set-up is designed for one-way loading of a model pile
foundation at a single height. Different heights at which forces in the field act (i.e. wind
loads act at a different height than marine loads) cannot be modelled using the current
set-up. Neither is it possible to load the foundation from multiple directions.
All ng experiments are conducted on dry sand, using static or one-way cyclic loading
conditions with a force at a fixed height for each experiment. In reality loading conditions
are not that simple, as forces from different directions, with varying magnitude and at
different heights load the wind turbine. Also, since pile tests are performed using dry
sand, the effective stresses are higher compared to saturated sand.
3.12 Summary and discussion

The 4.4 m diameter prototype pile with a slenderness ratio of 5 is the basis for the ex-
periments. A 2.2 m diameter pile with half the dimensions of the 4.4 m diameter pile is
also investigated. Two model piles of 13.68 and 27.68 mm outside diameter are tested at
80g and 160g, representing 2.2 m and 4.4 m prototype piles. All tests are performed at
an Id of 60% ± 2% using dry sand with an average particle size D50 and angle of internal
friction ϕ of 245µm and 35◦ respectively.

Chapter 4
Test Results
4.1 Overview of the experimental programme
The results from model pile tests, of which an overview is given in Table 4.1, will be
presented in Section 4.3. The load excentricity e, number of load cycles N and level of
acceleration n are shown. The EI represents the flexural stiffness of the corresponding
model pile, of which the prototype diameter is indicated by Dp .
Table 4.1 Overview of centrifuge tests

Test Dp Lp /Dp e N n EI
m - m - - Nm2
a 2.2 5 0 1 160 35
b 2.2 5 4.8 1 160 35
c 2.2 5 0 1 80 558
d 2.2 5 2.4 1 80 558
e 2.2 5 4.8 1 80 558
f 2.2 5 2.4 500 80 558
g 4.4 5 0 1 160 558
h 4.4 5 2.4 1 160 558
i 4.4 5 4.8 1 160 558
j 4.4 5 2.4 500 160 558
k 4.4 5 4.8 500 160 558
In order to better appreciate the results presented in this Chapter, first soil surface set-
tlements and the mass difference of the sample before and after experiments are discussed.
Thereafter, in Section 4.3 pile load-displacement results and the effect of load excentricity
will be presented.
31
32 Results
4.2 Surface settlement and sample weight loss

Surface settlement During two pile load tests of longer duration, i.e. up to 2 hours
flight time, up to 25 positions have been measured at 1g before and after testing in the
centrifuge. These positions are equally distributed over the surface and form a 5 by 5
grid. Table 4.2 summarizes the results of two tests. At locations where the soil has been
disturbed because of pile displacement no valid post experiment measurements were taken.
Table 4.2 Overview of surface settlements (mm)

Test 1: 160g, 60 minutes Test 2: 80g, 30 minutes
-0.2 -0.3 -0.0 -0.2 -0.3 -0.1 -0.4 -0.6 -0.2 -0.2
-0.4 -0.7 -0.2 -0.1 -0.3 -0.0 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 -0.5
-0.1 -0.6 -0.2 -0.2 -0.0 -0.1 -0.1
-0.4 -0.4 -0.2 -0.1 -0.4 -0.3 -0.5 -0.1 -0.2 -0.1
-0.1 -0.3 -0.0 -0.1 -0.5 -0.4 -0.0 -0.1 -0.2 -0.5
No additional measurements have been performed to quantify the rate of particle settle-
ment. However, typically the major part of the settlements occurs within the first minutes
of flight [83]. The limited number of measured points only gives an indication whilst e.g.
laser scanning of the surface could create a more accurate view of the settlements. When
measuring the surface settlement during flight also the settlement rate can be quantified.
The mean for test 1 and 2 is equal to surface settlement respectively of 0.26 ± 0.3
mm and 0.22 ± 0.3 mm. This relatively high uncertainty, which is in the same order of
magnitude as the measured settlement, is the result of the manual measurement method.
Nevertheless, a general trend is distinguished and no surface rise has been witnessed (ob-
viously, except on the passive side of the laterally loaded pile).
A surface drop of 0.3 mm results in a volume decrease of 15.7 cm3 or 0.2% and an Id
increase from the desired 60% to 60.7%. The influence of surface settlements on the pile
load tests therefore is limited.
Sample weight loss Before and after each test the weight of the strongbox, including
sand and model pile, has been measured. The strongbox and model pile will not loose
mass during the experiments. Therefore, the weight difference is due to the loss of sand
particles. The average amount of sand particles lost during flight is less than 1 gram, which
makes the total mass loss negligible. The running time of tests has no effect on the total
amount of mass loss.

Results 33
4.3 Experimental test results

The experimental programme contains a non-instrumented model pile. Neither have meas-
urements been performed in the soil sample. The cyclic (force controlled) and static (dis-
placement controlled) model pile tests rely on load Fh applied at height e above the soil
surface and pile displacements y are measured at the exact same height.
4.3.1 Pile rotation and translation

Large diameter piles rotate rather then bend when laterally loaded. For the current exper-
iments several model piles have been displaced >0.5D. In front of the pile, on the passive
side, heave occurred. To find out whether the pile purely rotates or also translates the
distance between the pile and a fixed vertical beam was measured at 5 mm, 12 mm and
30 mm above soil level before and after several experiments. These measurements are in
line with the load direction of the load frame. An overview is presented in Figure 4.1.
model pile
c
Fh
b
a
Figure 4.1 Schematic side view of initial pile position (continues line), displaced pile position
(dashed line) and measurement locations a, b and c
To verify that no deviation of the pile from the loading direction occurs, at 5 mm and
12 mm above soil surface level the pile position before and after experiments is examined
perpendicular to the loading direction. Sideways pile displacements are <0.6 mm ± 0.2
mm for all recorded cases. The pile thus displaces in line with the load frame, i.e. in the
prescribed loading direction.
The initial and final model pile positions have been measured at 1g. Therefore, the
exact position of the model pile in the final state during flight remains unknown. More
over, even when the load frame is stopped during lateral loading of the model pile and the
system is spun down, the soil is unloaded, thereby influencing the pile position.

34 Results
Table 4.3 Pile displacement, rotation and translation

Dimension
Mean pile deflection y 6.7 12.3 5.8 24.1 9.6 mm
Deriving the point of rotation based on ϕab , ϕbc and ϕac :
◦
ϕab 2.4 4.9 1.6 9.7 2.4
◦
ϕbc 3.2 5.1 1.9 9.5 3.5
◦
ϕac 3.0 5.0 1.8 9.5 3.2
◦
Average 2.9 5.0 1.8 9.6 3.1
◦
Standard deviation 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.5
Point of rotation 4.3D 4.5D 6.1D 4.6D 5.9D -
Taking the centre of rotation at 4D, the following ϕ are found:
◦
ϕa 2.9 5.4 2.6 10.5 4.3
◦
ϕb 2.9 5.4 2.6 10.4 4.2
◦
ϕc 2.9 5.3 2.5 10.3 4.1
◦
Average 2.9 5.4 2.6 10.4 4.2
◦
Standard deviation <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 0.1 0.1
Constructing the pile rotation angle from differences between the measured locations
a–b, b–c and a–c, the centre of rotation is found to be between 4D and about 6D. Any
value >5D suggests pile translation. Although the lateral pile displacement is measured
sufficiently accurate, the distance between the positions a, b and c is too small to properly
distinguish between rotation and translation. When taking the centre of rotation at 4D
below soil surface, the average pile angle is consistent. However, measurement errors are
smeared out over a length of approximately 4.5D. In order to distinguish between pile
translation and rotation and to better quantify the pile rotation, measurement of pile
displacements have to be significantly improved.
4.3.2 Static load displacement curves

The results of the static displacement controlled pile load tests are presented in Figures 4.2a
and 4.2b. In both Figures the lateral displacement normalized against the pile diameter
at surface level is plotted against the prototype lateral load in MN. This is done for load
excentricities e of 0.0 m, 2.4 m and 4.8 m.
As expected, an increase in excentricity results in a decrease of the stiffness response.
These results are more pronounced in model tests with the large pile diameter. The initial
stiffness variation can be caused by minor sample density inconsistencies. Results indicate
that for displacements up to 1D no ultimate lateral bearing capacity pult was found in the
current tests. The accumulation of sand in front of the pile leads to an increasing lateral
resistance.
The prototype pile diameter of 2.2 m is obtained by the 13.68 mm pile at 160g, but
also using the 27.36 mm pile at 80g. Comparing load-displacement curves of both piles the
influence of the physical strongbox boundary can be quantified. These curves are shown
in Figure 4.3.

Results 35
0.12 0.12
0.1 0.1
Load/(L⋅D2) [MN/m3]
0.08 0.08
0.06 e = 0.0 m 0.06 e = 0.0 m

e = 0.0 m e = 2.4 m
e = 2.4 m e = 2.4 m
0.04 0.04
e = 2.4 m e = 2.4 m
e = 2.4 m e = 4.8 m
0.02 e = 2.4 m 0.02 e = 4.8 m
e = 4.8 m e = 4.8 m
0 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Deflection y/D [−] Deflection y/D [−]
(a) 2.2 m diameter (b) 4.4 m diameter
Figure 4.2 Effect of load excentricity on load-displacement behaviour
It was not possible to perform two model pile test using the same sample. Therefore,
minor inconsistencies in soil density between the two samples may be present. The small
13.68 mm and large 27.36 mm diameter model piles were located at respectively 8.5Ds and
3.7Dl from the strongbox boundary. However, ideally a much larger strongbox is required
to be certain a negligible influence of strongbox boundary on the model pile test results
is present. Also, a minimal pile diameter of 24.5 mm is recommended for the current D50
of 245 µm [59; 79; 83]. Nevertheless, good agreement between both piles is visible for pile
displacements up to 0.25D. For displacements up to 0.25D the influence of the strongbox
boundary is limited and the use of the large 27.36 mm diameter model pile is acceptable.
0.08
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01 D = 13.68 mm, e = 2.4 m

D = 27.36 mm, e = 2.4 m
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Deflection y/D [−]
Figure 4.3 Quantification of the physical strongbox boundary

36 Results
4.3.3 Cyclic load displacement curves

Cyclic lateral load tests with 500 cycles have been performed for both the 2.2 m as well as
the 4.4 m pile. Also during these tests the excentricity has been varied. Figures 4.5a and
4.5b plot load against the displacement normalized against the pile diameter. In both tests
the lateral displacement increased with an increasing number of load cycles N . Although a
load cap has been applied, the recorded load nevertheless increases with a large cycle count.
Although a clear cause for this load increase is unknown, it can partially be explained by
a combination of several aspects:
- A stiffness increase during the first 10 cycles is visible. Later cycles show only minor
fluctuations in secant and tangent stiffness, see Figures 4.8a and 4.8b.
- A 0.2 s time gap between the displacement measurement and force measurement is
present. When the target load is reached the load frame continues movement for 0.2
s, thereby further displacing the pile, which results in a higher lateral load. However,
as the secant and tangent stiffness do not significantly change for >50 cycles, this
should lead to a constant loading level.
- During tests no airconditioning was present. As result, during longer tests of e.g.
two hours the room temperature increased from about 20◦ to >30◦ , which may have
had an effect on the response of the load cell. Eventhough the force plotted against
the applied number of cycles shows only a marginal increase of the force for N>50
cycles, see Figure 4.6.
2 14
12
1.5
10
Load [MN]
Load [MN]
8
1
6
4
0.5
0 0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2
y/D [−] y/D [−]
(a) 2.2 m diameter, e = 2.4 m (b) 4.4 m diameter, e = 2.4 m
Figure 4.4 Load-displacement curves for one-way cyclic laterally loaded piles

Results 37
0.2 0.2
0.15 0.15
y/D [−]
y/D [−]
0.1 0.1
0.05 0.05
0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 100 200 300 400 500
Number of cycles [−] Number of cycles [−]
(a) 2.2 m diameter, e = 2.4 m (b) 4.4 m diameter, e = 2.4 m
0.2 0.2
0.15 0.15
y/D [−]
y/D [−]
0.1 0.1
0.05 0.05
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 0 5 10 15 20 25
(c) 2.2 m diameter, e = 2.4 m, the first 25 cycles (d) 4.4 m diameter, e = 2.4 m, the first 25 cycles
0.2 0.2
0.15 0.15
y/D [−]
y/D [−]
0.1 0.1
0.05 0.05
0 0
475 480 485 490 495 500 475 480 485 490 495 500
(e) 2.2 m diameter, e = 2.4 m, the last 25 cycles (f ) 4.4 m diameter, e = 2.4 m, the last 25 cycles
Figure 4.5 Pile load-displacement behaviour with e = 2.4 m

38 Results
2 15
1.5
10
Force [MN]
Force [MN]
1
5
0.5
0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 100 200 300 400 500
(a) 2.2 m diameter, e = 2.4 m, load F (N ) (b) 4.4 m diameter, e = 2.4 m, load F (N )
Figure 4.6 Force F plotted against number of cycles N
4.3.4 Secant and tangent stiffness

The secant and tangent stiffness (see Figure 4.7) improve the understanding of the soil-
pile interaction. However, since the pile is rigid, the secant and tangent stiffness instead
give information about the soil. Figures 4.8a and 4.8b present the results for cyclic force
controlled pile tests.
Load F
Etan Esec
F1
F4
F3
F2 Displacement u
0 u2 u3 u4 u1
Figure 4.7 Schematic overview of secant and tangent stiffness
A smaller pile diameter shows a lower secant and tangent stiffness. In all cases the
tangent stiffness is about 50 % higher than the secant stiffness. Also, larger excentricities
e yield a lower stiffness. The results show that an increase in pile diameter with constant
L/D, Id and e, results in a significant increase in static lateral capacity and secant and
tangent stiffness from cyclic load tests.

Results 39
90 90
D = 4.4 m, e = 2.4 m
80 D = 4.4 m, e = 4.8 m 80
D = 2.2 m, e = 2.4 m
70 70
Tangent stiffness [MN/m]

Secant stiffness [MN/m]
60 60
50 50
D = 4.4 m, e = 2.4 m
40 40
D = 4.4 m, e = 4.8 m
30 30 D = 2.2 m, e = 2.4 m
20 20
10 10
0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 0 100 200 300 400 500
(a) Secant stiffness (b) Tangent stiffness
Figure 4.8 Secant and tangent stiffness versus number of cycles N
4.4 Pile displacement accumulation

An increasing number of load cycles results in a displacement accumulation with a de-
creasing rate. Figure 4.9 plots the formulae as suggested by Hettler (Eq. 2.7) and Little
and Briaud (Eq. 2.8) as well as the displacement accumulation for three model pile tests.
0.25
D = 2.2 m, e = 2.4 m
Normalized pile displacement y/D [−]
D = 4.4 m, e = 2.4 m
0.2 D = 4.4 m, e = 4.8 m
Hettler (w = 0.05)
1
Little & Briaud (w1 = 0.05)
0.15 Hettler (w = 0.10)
1
Little & Briaud (w = 0.10)
1
0.1
0.05
0 0 1 2
10 10 10
Number of cycles [−]
Figure 4.9 Pile displacement accumulation
The empirical formulae do not correspond well to the soil behaviour from the model
pile test data. Model pile test results show an over-logarithmic rate of stiffness increase
for the first 100 cycles and an under-logarithmic rate thereafter.
Two tests with an excentricity of 2.4 m show good agreement and the e = 4.8 test
shows a similar accumulation trend, but with a higher initial offset. A higher number of
load cycles is required to better understand soil behaviour. It is further recommended to
investigate the effect of varying load magnitude on the pile displacement accumulation.

40 Results

Chapter 5
Comparison
5.1 Introduction
In order to investigate the applicability of the API for pile diameters of 2.2 m and 4.4 m,
the results of the model pile tests presented in Chapter 4 will be compared with the design
calculations. For this, the soil properties and initial test conditions presented in Chapter
3 will be used as input for the API method as presented in Chapter 2 and Appendix B.
First the default formulation will be adopted before going to a modified version with a
stress dependent expression for the soil stiffness.
5.2 Calculation assumptions

As introduced in Chapter 2, rigid piles have a centre of rotation close to 0.8Lemb , i.e. 4D
for the reference 4.4 m diameter pile with an L/D-ratio of 5. Calculations using MPile
(see Appendix D) also indicate a centre of rotation of about 0.8L. Furthermore, a linear
pile deflection is assumed, i.e. the mono-pile is considered infinitely stiff. As indicated by
MPile calculations (see Appendix D) this is a decent estimation, although pile bending in
the order of several degrees can be seen.
The maximum lateral bearing capacity of the pile is referred to as the load cap. For a
high initial stiffness a plateau is visible in the load-displacement results as shown e.g. in
Appendix D.
5.3 Default API

Although the API [6] suggests in-situ soil investigation and laboratory soil tests, the use
of soil parameters derived from in-situ soil investigation is not explicitly requested. It
is assumed the p-y method gives a sufficiently accurate prediction of the lateral bearing
capacity based on the currently available empirical relations.
The parameter k representing soil stiffness suggested by the API for medium dense sand
(or sand with a peak ϕ equal to about 36◦ ) equal to 4.4·104 kN/m3 . Figure 5.1 plots the
lateral bearing capacity against a normalized lateral pile deflection for both experimental
results and default value for k.
41
42 Comparison
0.3 0.3
k = 44000, e = 0.0 m k = 44000, e = 0.0 m
k = 44000, e = 2.4 m k = 44000, e = 2.4 m
0.25 k = 44000, e = 4.8 m 0.25 k = 44000, e = 4.8 m
experiment, e = 0.0 m experiment, e = 0.0 m
0.2 experiment, e = 0.0 m 0.2 experiment, e = 2.4 m
0.1 0.1
0.05 0.05
0 0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
Normalized pile displacement y/D [−] Normalized pile displacement y/D [−]
(a) D = 2.2 m (b) D = 4.4 m
Figure 5.1 Comparison of experimental results and lateral bearing capacity conform the API
for default soil stiffness k = 44000 kN/m3
A significant overestimation of initial stiffness is shown. The experimental results lack

a cap for displacements up to 0.25D. However, the API formulation reaches a limiting
load within 0.1D. To obtain a better fit of the API estimation with the experimental data,
a modification of the k based on triaxial compression test results is suggested.
5.4 Modified API

The k parameter of the fine medium dense sand used for ng experiments is derived from
triaxial compression tests. These triaxial compression tests have been performed at an
effective stress level of 500 kPa. An overview of the executed triaxial tests is given in
Appendix H. The σ1 - σ3 required for determining the E50 is 700 ± 50 kPa. The corres-
ponding strain ε equals about 0.46%. 0.46% of the total sample height equals 0.50 mm.
This leads to an E50 of 1500 ± 100 kPa or a corresponding k value of about 1400 kN/m3 .
The stiffness of the sand for model pile tests is significantly different from the default API
value. Figure 5.2 presents the results based on the modified k and shows an improvement
compared to the original formulation shown in Figure 5.1.
Still an overestimation of the initial stiffness is present comparing the modified API
method with the experimental results. However, the 500 kPa cell pressure at which the
triaxial compression tests have been performed equates to a depth of about 31 m for a
soil density of 16 kN/m3 . The mono-pile foundation only is installed to a depth of 22 m.
Therefore, the k = 1400 kN/m3 is not entirely representative for this mono-pile foundation.
In order to further improve the still marginal performance of the modified formulation of
the API, a stress dependent, or depth dependent k(z) is introduced.

Comparison 43
0.3 0.3
k = 1400, e = 0.0 m k = 1400, e = 0.0 m
k = 1400, e = 2.4 m k = 1400, e = 2.4 m
0.25 k = 1400, e = 4.8 m 0.25 k = 1400, e = 4.8 m
0.1 0.1
0.05 0.05
0 0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
(a) D = 2.2 m (b) D = 4.4 m
with adapted soil stiffness k = 1400 kN/m3
5.5 Stress dependent formulation

Rather than selecting the E50 for a single stress level, the E50 is varied using the well known
equation of [29]. Hereby, the depth dependent k as shown in Equation 5.1 is obtained.
This modification has been suggested before, e.g. by [52]. For current research the stiffness
as function of depth as shown in Figure 5.3 is used:
−5
−10
Depth [m]
−15
−20
−25
−30
−35
0 500 1000 1500
k value [kN/m3]
Figure 5.3 The increase of soil stiffness with increasing depth
³ zγ ´n
k(z) = k500kPa (5.1)
500kPa
Where k(z) in kN/m3 is the depth dependent soil stiffness, k(500kP a) in kN/m3 is the
stiffness measured at the reference stress level of 500 kPa, z in m the depth and γ the
specific weight in kN/m3 . For sand the exponent n = 0.5 can be taken. This modification
improved the quality of the API p-y method considerably, as shown in Figure 5.4.

44 Comparison
0.25 0.15
k(z), e = 0.0 m k(z), e = 0.0 m
k(z), e = 2.4 m k(z), e = 2.4 m
0.2 k(z), e = 4.8 m k(z), e = 4.8 m
experiment, e = 0.0 m 0.1 experiment, e = 2.4 m
Load [MN]
0.15
0.1 experiment, e = 4.8 m experiment, e = 4.8 m
0.05
0.05
0 0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
(a) D = 2.2 m (b) D = 4.4 m
0.05 0.05
k(z), e = 0.0 m k(z), e = 0.0 m
k(z), e = 2.4 m k(z), e = 2.4 m
0.04 k(z), e = 4.8 m 0.04 k(z), e = 4.8 m

0.01 0.01
0 0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1
(c) D = 2.2 m - detail (d) D = 4.4 m - detail
with adapted soil stiffness k as function of depth z
A proper estimation of the experimental results is found using the stress-dependent

API formulation in which soil properties are incorporated. However, for displacements
>0.25D still an over-estimation of experimental results is found.

Comparison 45
5.6 Effect of adapted stiffness on the p-y curves

The p-y curves form the backbone of the lateral bearing capacity calculations as suggested
by the API. Figure 5.5 reveals the effect of stiffness k modification at 5 and 11 m below
soil surface level.
10000 10000
z = 11 m, k = 44000 z = 11 m, k = 44000
z = 11 m, k = 1400 z = 11 m, k = 1400
8000 z = 11 m, k(z) 8000 z = 11 m, k(z)
z = 5 m, k = 44000 z = 5 m, k = 44000
z = 5 m, k = 1400 z = 5 m, k = 1400
z = 5 m, k(z) z = 5 m, k(z)
6000 6000
p [kN/m]
p [kN/m]
4000 4000
2000 2000
0 0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
(a) D = 2.2 m (b) D = 4.4 m
Figure 5.5 Influence of soil stiffness k on p-y curves
5.7 Conclusions
The results of the experiments have been compared with the calculated bearing capacity
from the default and modified API method. The modified API method has a correction
term for the stress dependency of the soil stiffness. The initial stiffness response is largely
over predicted with the default relation between initial soil density and soil strength. The
results already dramatically improve if the secant stiffness E50 from the laboratory tests
is used instead. Even better predictions are obtained if the latter stiffness is adapted to a
stress dependent, i.e. depth dependent, stiffness relation of [29]. For the 2.2 m diameter pile
the p-y method in current adapted form underestimates the lateral bearing capacity by up
to 50% for displacements up to 0.1D. Displacements of the 4.4 m diameter pile up to 0.1D
can be predicted with about 25% accuracy. Differences in results between the p-y method
for both 2.2 m and 4.4 m diameter piles underlines the fact that further research into the
applicability of the p-y method and diameter dependency of lateral bearing capacity is
needed.

46 Comparison

Chapter 6
OWEZ Field Data Analysis
For the force controlled cyclic ng experiments, displacements of about 0.25D were pre-
scribed. Mud line displacements from available OWEZ field data will be compared to soil
surface displacements of model pile tests.
6.1 Field data analysis

Two OWEZ wind turbines have been equipped with measurement devices such as accelero-
meters, anemometers and other devices recording nacelle and rotor operational parameters.
The North-South (NS) and East-West (EW) acceleration signals in the base of the tower,
located 6.6 m above the transition piece, will be analysed. This analysis consists of filtering
and double integration of the acceleration signal (given in m/s2 ) to obtain displacements
in m. This data analysis is performed using MatLab [88] and more detailed information
is presented in Appendix G.
6.1.1 Assumptions
The bolted connection between tower and transition piece is able to transfer bending and
torsional moments and is located 11.7 m above sea level. The grouted connection between
transition piece and mono-pile foundation is assumed to be able to transfer moments as
well. The accelerometer is installed about 34 m above the mud line. Since the centre of
rotation is present at 4D below mud line level, the mud line displacement is about 0.5
times the accelerometer displacement.
6.1.2 Loading conditions
The period analysed is 20–24 November 2008. On the 20th and 21st the wave height and
wind speed respectively were in the order of 5–7 m and 15–20 m/s. The other days more
calm wind and sea conditions were present.
47
48 OWEZ Field Data Analysis
−3 −4
x 10 x 10
0.8 2
|Y(f)|
|Y(f)|
0.6
0.4 1
0.2
0 0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.0
Frequency [Hz] Frequency [Hz]
(a) Accelerations, NS (b) Displacements and velocities, NS
Figure 6.1 FFT spectra of NS accelerations and displacements
6.2 Results and remarks

Accelerations and velocities The acceleration data and calculated velocities are in
the order of 0.1–1.0 m/s2 and 0.05 m/s for either NS or EW loading direction.
Displacements The total maximum displacement at mud line level during the 20th and
21st of November was 9 cm from the origin, which is about 0.02D. The information shown
in Figures 6.3a and 6.3b corresponds to a height of 34 m above mud line level.
−3 −4
x 10 x 10
0.8 2
|Y(f)|
|Y(f)|
0.6
0.4 1
0.2
0 0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 0 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.0
Frequency [Hz] Frequency [Hz]
(a) Accelerations, EW (b) Displacements and velocities, EW
Figure 6.2 FFT spectra of EW accelerations and displacements
The ng model pile test displacements of up to 0.2D are about 10 times larger than the
0.02D found for field loading conditions as present on the 20th and 21st of November 2008.
Higher wind speeds or higher waves can occur and therefore the lateral pile deflection at
mud line can be larger, e.g. up to 0.03–0.04D, which still is in agreement with the maximum

OWEZ Field Data Analysis 49
0.1 0.1
Velocity [m/s] Velocity [m/s]
Displacement [m] Displacement [m]
0.05 0.05
0 0
−0.05 −0.05
−0.1 −0.1
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Time [s] Time [s]
(a) NS (b) EW
Figure 6.3 Example of NS and EW velocities and displacements
pile rotation of 0.5◦ (for a 4.4 m diameter pile with an L/D-ratio of 6) as suggested by the
GL [34].
The field displacements occur at a frequency of 0.01–0.4 Hz and about 0.1 and approx-
imately 0.4 Hz are peak frequencies. Loads with a period of 3–8 s, i.e. 0.333–0.125 Hz, are
caused by waves. The operational and maximum rpm are 16.1 and 18.4 respectively, which
leads to 0.268 Hz and 0.301 Hz respectively. The effect of a blade temporarily shielding
the tower from wind would lead to frequencies of 0.81 and 0.92 Hz respectively and is
negligible compared to the total movement of the tower or foundation for the analysed
period and loading conditions.
Although the currently available data does not distinguish between wind and marine
loads, it is possible to determine pile displacements under different conditions. A calm sea
state and <2 Bft winds will result in small pile movements and displacements. A rough
sea state with high waves and high wind speeds will result in larger pile displacements.
After analysing pile displacements for several loading conditions a better (extrapolated)
prediction can be made for pile displacements under severe sea state conditions. This is an
important field of research as small amplitude cyclic loads with a relative high frequency
of about 0.3 Hz might lead to pore pressure build-up and low frequency waves of about
0.1 Hz are expected to have a much greater effect on pile displacements. It is therefore
recommended to accommodate an experimental programme with the pile displacements as
derived from these field data.

50 OWEZ Field Data Analysis

Chapter 7
Conclusions and
Recommendations
7.1 Conclusions
In current engineering practice >2 m diameter mono-piles are designed using design stand-
ards that rely on the p-y method for lateral loading. This p-y method was derived from
0.61 m diameter 21.0 m long slender piles (L/D-ratio = 34.4) and has not been validated
for rigid piles with a diameter >2 m. In order to investigate the validity of the p-y method
for large diameter rigid mono-piles a new test setup for the geotechnical centrifuge has
been designed. The setup is capable of laterally loading of model piles using displacement
or load control. Both static and cyclic loads up to 0.1 Hz can be applied. In addition two
prototype diameter mono-piles with an L/D-ratio of 5 and diameters of 2.2 m and 4.4 m
have been scaled to model dimensions with according flexural stiffness whilst keeping a
reasonable scaling of the pile geometry.
The new setup has been used to conduct 11 experiments which study the influence of
pile diameter and load excentricity on the lateral bearing capacity and tangent and secant
stiffness response by means of static and cyclic loading schemes.
The properties of the sand have been determined in laboratory tests. The minimum
and maximum porosity are nmin = 0.324 and nmax = 0.475. Triaxial compression tests
on dry sand and saturated sand (with a Skempton B-value of 0.95) showed a peak friction
angle of 35◦ and a E50 = 1400 kPa. The reloading stiffness is 2200 kPa.
An increase in pile head displacement or pile rotation leads to an increase in lateral
static capacity. However, no ultimate lateral bearing capacity pult was found in these
experiments where pile head displacements up to 0.9D have been applied.
An increase in load excentricity leads to a reduction of static capacity and lower initial
stiffness. A load excentricity of 4.8 m above soil level compared to 0.0 m, results in
a decrease of about 20%. This reduction in capacity can be approximated by (Lemb ·
F )/(Lemb + e).
In the cyclic tests 90% of the increase in stiffness is gained in the first 20 cycles. The
other 10% gain is accumulated in the remaining 480 cycles. Furthermore, the secant and
tangent stiffness of the 4.4 m diameter pile are approximately 4 times higher than the
51
52 Conclusions and Recommendations
secant and tangent stiffness for the 2.2 m pile. The tangent stiffness for all load cases is
about 1.5 times the secant stiffness and both reach a plateau starting in the 20th cycle up
to the last prescribed cycle (500).
Comparing calculated results based on the default API formulation with experimental
results, a significant overestimation of the initial stiffness for both the 2.2 m and 4.4 m
diameter piles is found. Substituting the default API stiffness parameter k with an E50
secant stiffness based on triaxial compression tests of the model sand, a less poor fit is
obtained, where the height of the triaxial test sample is taken into account in order to
arrive at matching dimensions with the k parameter, i.e. kN/m3 . Only after incorporating
a stress dependent formulation for the stiffness parameter k does the API formulation
show good agreement with the experimental results. However, further investigation into
mono-pile-soil interaction is required.
OWEZ field data from a period in November 2008 have been analysed. The marine
conditions in the analysed period are a wave height of 5.0–6.0 m, a wave period in the
order of 6.0–8.0 s and a wind speed of about 15–18 m/s. These conditions lead to pile
displacements at seabed level up to 10 cm, i.e. about 0.02D. Displacements of the ng
experiments are much larger, but also have a lower stiffness compared to the OWEZ field
soil stiffness. A higher initial density therefore is recommended for further research.
7.2 Recommendations
To gain more insight into the soil-pile behaviour of large diameter mono-piles used as
foundation for offshore wind turbines it is recommended to perform more advanced exper-
iments.
The nacelle, which has a weight in the order of 300 ton, is located about 100 m
above the sea floor. Due to wind and wave loading the entire structure gently sways.
Experiments in which the axial load and structure geometry are better represented
will deliver a better understanding of offshore wind turbine foundations.
A greater space between strongbox boundary and pile is advised as boundary effects
for a laterally loaded pile cannot be considered absent using the current set-up.
Either a larger strongbox or additional investigation into the boundary effects are
recommended.
Waves, wind and currents load the entire structure from different directions and with
varying magnitude. Experiments with a more realistic load spectrum will improve
soil-pile interaction predictions for complex loading scenarios.
Improved lateral load control and for rapid load conditions a synchronisation between
displacement and load is required.
In order to better quantify the soil behaviour under long term cyclic loading the
number of load cycles should be increased dramatically, for instance up to 100000.
Additionally, the load spectrum should be adapted to mimic field loading conditions.

Chapter 8
Acknowledgements
This Thesis is the final piece of the puzzle required to complete the study Civil Engineering
& Geosciences at the Delft University of Technology. The work has been carried out at
Gemeentewerken (Public Works) Rotterdam and Delft University of Technology.
During this work I have received advice from many people and I have learnt many
things about many topics, from politics to aerospace engineering.
I would like to thank my committee members for answering questions and giving me
feedback: Prof. Frits van Tol, Wout Broere, Jelke Dijkstra, Otto Heeres, Dirk Luger and
Prof. Kees Willemse. Both Otto Heeres and Henk Brassinga made it possible to perform
part of my study at Gemeentewerken Rotterdam. I had a good time with nice, interested
and interesting colleagues, thanks.
The model pile tests were carried out using the TU Delft geotechnical centrifuge. I am
grateful to Jelke Dijkstra, my daily supervisor, for giving me the opportunity to use this
rather unique piece of equipment and for his critical thoughts and healthy dose of sarcasm.
Another thanks goes out to Nuon [63] and ECN [31], from whom I received a truly
immense amount of data from two wind turbines of the OWEZ wind farm. Analysing this
the data turned out to be challenging and the results are a valuable addition to this work.
Furthermore I would like to thank many friends and acquaintances for opening their
minds to discuss many different subjects with me. And last, but certainly not least, my
parents and brother for supporting me, regardless of the situation I am in.
April, 2011
Etienne Alderlieste
53
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Appendices
63
Appendix A
OWEZ CPT results and

borehole logs
This Appendix contains borehole logs and CPT results of a North Sea location used for the
OWEZ wind farm. The mono-pile foundation used at this site is introduced in Chapter 1
and further analysed in Chapter 3.
65
66 Appendix A

Appendix A 67

68 Appendix A

Appendix A 69

70 Appendix A

Appendix A 71

72 Appendix A

Appendix A 73

74 Appendix A

Appendix A 75

76 Appendix A

Appendix B
Effect of diameter and loading

type on p-y method parameters
This Appendix presents several plots in which the diameter D influence is plotted against
depth z. In Chapter 2 the parameters depending on the diameter D and depth z, A(z),
pus (z) and pud (z), which form the basis for p-y curves, are presented. Figures B.2 and B.3
show that at a depth greater than 12 m below soil surface there is no difference between
static loading and cyclic loading.
0
p , D = 4.4 m
us
pud, D = 4.4 m
−5 pus, D = 2.2 m
pud, D = 2.2 m
Depth [m]
pus, D = 1.1 m
−10
pud, D = 1.1 m
−15
−20
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Soil resistance [kN/m] 4
x 10
Figure B.1 pus and pud as function of D plotted against depth (z)
77
78 Appendix B
−5
Depth [m]
−10
Astatic, D = 1.1 m
−15
Astatic, D = 2.2 m
Astatic, D = 4.4 m
−20 Acyclic
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

Factor to account for loading type [−]
Figure B.2 Factor A to account for loading type plotted against depth (z)
4
x 10
2
s, 18 m
s, 11 m
1.5 s, 4 m
c, 18 m
c, 11 m
p [kN/m]
c, 4 m
1
0.5
0
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12
Deflection [m]
Figure B.3 Differences between static and cyclic p-y curves at different depth (z)

Appendix C
qc(z) used for MPile

calculations
Based on the CPTs as shown in Appendix A an estimated soil profile qc is created. The
qc,1 , qc,2 and qc,3 refer to CPTs W-CPT08, W-CPT09 and W-CPT36 respectively. The
qc values is used for MPile calculations for North Sea (OWEZ) conditions. The results of
these calculations are the cap plots shown as Figures 3.1b and 3.1a.
0
qc,1
−4 qc,2
−8 qc,3
qc
−12
Depth [m]
−16
−20
−24
−28
−32
0 10 20 30 40
Cone resistance [MPa]
Figure C.1 Estimated CPT values for North Sea sand at the OWEZ wind farm
79
80 Appendix C

Appendix D
Results for MPile calculations
This Appendix presents an overview of MPile calculations performed to indicate the lateral
pult of 2.2 m and 4.4 m diameter mono-piles. In Chapter 3 different topics concerning a
laterally loaded large diameter mono-pile in sand are covered.
81
82 Appendix D
Figure D.1 Ultimate pile deflection, moments and shear forces of laterally loaded 4.4 m mono-
pile with a load excentricity e of 0.0 m

Appendix D 83
Figure D.2 Ultimate load cap of 4.4 m mono-pile with a load excentricity e of 0.0 m

84 Appendix D

Appendix D 85

86 Appendix D

Appendix D 87

88 Appendix D

Appendix E
Model piles
Figure E.1 gives details of the 2 model piles used for the ng experiments. In Chapter 3
the testing programme is introduced and Chapter 4 contains the test results.
89
90 Appendix E
14.00 28.00
13.00 26.00
35.00
35.00
0.50 1.00
68.40
0.34
136.80
0.68
13.68
27.36
Figure E.1 Cross-section of the two model piles, dimensions in mm

Appendix F
Pycnometer results
The specific density of the sand particles that have been used for centrifuge testing is
examined using a QuantaChrome Ultrapycnometer 1000. Thereafter, the test series and
results are shown in Table F.1. In Chapter 3 additional soil tests are discussed. The
average density is determined using the mean of the last 3 measurements for both series
and equal to 2.6457 Mg/m3 . The (room) temperature at which the tests were performed
was 23.4◦ C.
Table F.1 Pycnometer test results

Series 1 Series 2
[Mg/m3 ] [Mg/m3 ]
2.6479 2.6527
2.6471 2.6504
2.6471 2.6493
2.6468 2.6481
2.6461 2.6475
2.6464 2.6470
2.6457 2.6464
2.6453 2.6458
2.6458 2.6460
2.6456 2.6456
Standard deviation 0.0002 0.0002 [g/cc]
Coefficient of variation 0.0079 0.0072 [%]
91
92 Appendix F

Appendix G
Field data analysis details
This Appendix contains the steps performed analysing the field data using MatLab [88].
Results are presented in Chapter 6.
OWEZ data Two wind turbines of the Offshore Wind farm Egmond aan Zee have
been instrumented with accelerometers, anemometers, a thermometer and several devices
measuring nacelle and rotor related information. All recorded data is stored in a single file
for each 10-minute period.
The aim of this analysis is to derive pile displacements at mud line or seabed level
during strong wind or storm conditions. To achieve this, the 64 Hz North-South (NS) and
East-West (EW) acceleration data of the tower is used. Since the available data could
not be processed at once, each 10-minute periode file is analysed individually first, storing
the minimum, maximum and mean of each file in a new vector. This vector has been
examined and 20–24 November 2008 is chosen is reference period. The following steps
were performed to find the corresponding displacements.
- Open the consecutive 10-minute period files from 20–24 November 2008, extract the
acceleration information and store this data in a single vector. Accelerations in NS
and EW direction are treated separately.
- A periodic moving window technique with a 50% overlap (see Figure G.1) is applied
and the NS and EW signals are filtered using a low pass filter. The window size was
512, i.e. 8 seconds.
This periodic Hanning technique relies on analysing subsequent parts of the total
data file. A 50% overlap is used which results in an amplification factor of 1 for
the entire data range except both ends. By choosing a relatively small window size
compared to the total vector length (i.e. 22·106 ) the disturbed data is kept to a
minimum. 512 data points in this case make up a negligible percentage.
Although frequencies in excess of 10 Hz are not likely to be expected offshore or from
small magnitude, a small peak in the frequency spectrum was found around 23 Hz.
Signals >24 Hz are filtered out by a stable low pass filter.
93
94 Appendix G
1.2
Window 1 Window 2 Window 3 Sum
Multiplication factor [−] 0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0 100 200 300 400
Data points [−]
Figure G.1 Principle of splitting and re-assembling data using consecutive 50% overlapping
windows
The average of the signal was positive, in the order of 0.08 m/s2 . Although a positive
mean of a signal does not make double integration impossible, the obtained displace-
ments would not make sense, i.e. displacements of several dozen metres are deemed
impossible by commom sense. Therefore, the mean of the signal was subtracted
before integration, which also is a common applied filtering technique.
Having applied a low pass filter and mean subtraction for each 512 long sub signal,
the entire signal is re-assembled.
- The re-assembed signal is integrated once to get velocities in m/s and a 5-point
smoothing is applied.
- The second integration step is performed and displacements in m are the result.
- A stable high pass filter is applied with a pass frequency of about 0.03 Hz.
- The displacement signal is analysed and the dominant frequencies are determined
using a fast fourier transform (FFT).

Appendix H
Triaxial test results
This Appendix contains results of performed triaxial tests including Mohr circles and
plots of ε versus the deviatoric stress (σ1 - σ3 ). Tests have been performed with different
conditions, although mainly with a cell pressure of 500 kPa. In Chapter 3 the soil properties
are discussed. The legends of Figures H.1 and H.2 refer to this Table H.1, which shows
test conditions.
In the following table the σ3′ is the effective cell pressure. The porosity and void ratio
are represented by n and e respectively. The h and w refer to the sample height and the
sample weight. Rate indicates the rate at which the deformation is applied. Finally, Avg.
and SD are used to represent the average and standard deviation respectively for several
relevant parameters.
Table H.1 Overview of triaxial tests and test conditions
Test Condition Id B-value σ3′ n e h w Rate

[%] [-] [kPa] [-] [-] [mm] [g] [mm/min]
a dry 60 - 100 0.395 0.652 108.4 344.1 1.0
b drained 59 0.93 400 0.395 0.654 108.5 334.0 0.5
c dry 68 - 500 0.386 0.629 110.1 344.1 1.0
d dry 66 - 500 0.388 0.632 110.4 344.0 1.0
e dry 67 - 500 0.387 0.631 107.0 334.1 0.5
f dry 58 - 500 0.396 0.657 108.7 334.1 1.0
g dry 58 - 500 0.397 0.658 108.8 334.1 0.5
h dry 65 - 500 0.389 0.637 107.4 334.1 0.75
i dry 62 - 500 0.392 0.645 107.9 334.0 5.0
j dry 69 - 500 0.385 0.625 106.6 334.0 5.0
k dry 78 - 500 0.375 0.601 105.0 334.0 5.0
l drained 53 0.93 500 0.402 0.671 109.6 333.9 0.5
m drained 56 0.98 500 0.399 0.663 109.1 334.0 0.2
n drained 53 0.95 500 0.402 0.672 109.7 334.1 0.4
o drained 66 0.96 500 0.389 0.636 107.3 344.0 0.5
Avg. 62.5 0.392 0.644 108.3
SD 6.8 0.007 0.019 1.5
95
96 Appendix H
1500
1000 c
d
σ1 − σ3 [kPa]
e
f
g
h
i
500
j
k
l
m
n
o
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
εzz [%]
Figure H.1 Stress-strain curve with a cell pressure of 500 kPa

Appendix H 97
1500
1000 c
d
σ − σ [kPa]
e
f
3
g
h
1
i
500 j
k
l
m
n
o
E50
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
εzz [%]
Figure H.2 Stress-strain curve with a cell pressure of 500 kPa, 0–5% strain
τ [kP a]
800
400
ϕ = 35◦
σ1 − σ3 [kP a]
0 400 800 1200 1600
Figure H.3 Mohr circles

98 Appendix H

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Experimental modelling of lateral loads on large diameter

mono-pile foundations in sand

Master of Science Thesis

Delft University of Technology

Author : Etienne A. Alderlieste

Postal Address : Delft University of Technology

De laatste jaren zijn er verschillende offshore windmolen parken voltooid. De windmolens

Abbreviations and Symbols xix

2 Laterally Loaded Piles 7

3 Experimental Test Set-up 17

3.7.3 Geotechnical Centrifuge at Delft University of Technology . . . . . . 24

6 OWEZ Field Data Analysis 47

7 Conclusions and Recommendations 51

A OWEZ CPT results and borehole logs 65

B Effect of diameter and loading type on p-y method parameters 77

C qc (z) used for MPile calculations 79

D Results for MPile calculations 81

G Field data analysis details 93

H Triaxial test results 95

1.1 Main wind turbine components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2.1 Behaviour of laterally loaded rigid pile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3.1 pult and influence of load excentricity on pult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

4.1 Schematic overview of measurement positions a, b and c . . . . . . . . . . . 33

5.1 Comparison of ng results and API, k = 44000 kN/m3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

6.1 FFT spectra of NS accelerations and displacements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

6.2 FFT spectra of EW accelerations and displacements . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

B.1 pus and pud as function of D plotted against depth (z) . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

D.1 Displacement and forces of 4.4 m pile in dry sand, e = 0.0 m . . . . . . . . 82

E.1 Cross-section of the two model piles, dimensions in mm . . . . . . . . . . . 90

G.1 Splitting and re-assembling data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

H.1 Stress-strain curve with a cell pressure of 500 kPa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

3.1 Properties of two prototype piles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

4.1 Overview of centrifuge tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

F.1 Pycnometer test results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

H.1 Overview of triaxial tests and test conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

API American Petroleum Institute

A Factor to account for loading type [-]

1.1 Offshore wind energy

rotor (diameter) nacelle

water level transition piece

Figure 1.1 Main wind turbine components

1.2 Wind turbine foundations

E.A. Alderlieste M.Sc. Thesis

1.3 Mono-pile foundation loads and soil response

1.4 Design of large diameter mono-piles

M.Sc. Thesis E.A. Alderlieste

(a) Side view (b) Top view

- Experimental investigation into the accumulation of horizontal displacements for

E.A. Alderlieste M.Sc. Thesis

1.6 Limitations of this research

- Multi-directional loads acting at different positions are simplified as a force acting

1.7 Outline of this Thesis

M.Sc. Thesis E.A. Alderlieste

E.A. Alderlieste M.Sc. Thesis

Laterally Loaded Piles

2.1 Failure of rigid piles

soil surf ace

(a) Schematic pile rotation (b) Schematic soil resistance

Figure 2.1 Behaviour of laterally loaded rigid pile

Fh = Fr,1 + Fr,2 , (2.1)

−Fr,1 (L − zr,1 ) + Fr,2 (L − zr,2 )

2.2 Design methods for laterally loaded piles

E.A. Alderlieste M.Sc. Thesis